Indigenous Identity and Cultural Hybridity in Somerset Maugham’s The Painted Veil

Abstract

While the concepts of identity and culture carry political and ethical implications, they also play an essential role in representing the post-colonial experience as it is lived. The process of transplantation leads to the emergence of a culture of exile. The formation of an undifferentiated identity occurs within a context influenced by both the conscious and unconscious past, as well as the realities of migration. This context serves as a representation of the experience. Though still connected to specific localities and cultures, the disruptions of space and time can reveal the complexities of self and culture within their original contexts. This dynamic allows for multiple forms of belonging, potentially fostering a sense of holistic identity while rejecting rigid and simplistic notions of existence. This condition does not merely promote a singular subjectivity or make itself inaccessible to social structures or personal experiences. The argument presented in this article aligns with the exploration of how human agency, expressed through narrative, positions itself within broad, imperfect theories or meta-narratives that shape larger forces in the development of alternative spatial and political discourses. Personal and collective cultures, along with contextual references, are fundamentally contingent and unstable, remaining open to interpretation.