PORTRAYAL OF CULTURAL HYBRIDITY IN RIZWAN AKHTAR’S POETRY

Abstract

Rizwan Akhtar’s Lahore, I Am Coming is a collection of short poems mostly dealing with postcolonial studies. Pakistani individuals’ identities face many challenges due to colonialism. Identities are no longer the same due to culturally hybrid situations. The ongoing struggle of individuals is present in our data source, which is selected poetry of Akhtar’s. My research aims to find the impacts of cultural hybridity on identities of postcolonial individuals. The major theorist Homi Bhabha’s work on Third space in postcolonial times is the relevant concern of the research. The method that helps me in doing the research is “Thematic Analysis”. The study first explores the element of cultural hybridity in the selected poetry. Then, it identifies the effects of cultural hybridity on postcolonial individuals. Through an extensive analysis, it is explored that no individual is free from a hybrid state which formulates new identities. Data shows that various factors of cultural hybridity are directly related to identity crises. The main focus of the work is on the factors confronting understanding of transformed identities, such as the sense of double consciousness, cultural memory, and cultural exchange. In dealing with the identities, Bhabha’s application of the third space becomes essential for the survival of new identities. The research helps in highlighting the role played by cultural hybrid conditions in identity-formation. It also contributes to the postcolonial discourse and creates an image.
Keywords: individuals’ identities, hybridity, transformed identities.