The Evolution of Changez' Identity : Hybridity and Culture in Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Sammanfattning: This essay explores the concept of hybridity and its relation to cultural identity in Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007). Changez' identity is analysed by using postcolonial theory and its notion of hybrid identities. By analysing Changez' cultural identity, I came to the conclusion that his hybridity is not fixed, but rather fluid and changing. At the beginning of the novel, Changez' hybrid identity is fractioned and unstable, leading him to become ashamed and uncomfortable with who he is and his Pakistani culture. At the end of the novel he realises that his experiences in America will always be part of who he is - part of his identity - and his hybridity becomes harmonious and stable, in turn allowing him to use Western culture against itself; a key part of hybridity in postcolonial theory.