Navigating Hybrid Identities: A Comparative Analysis of The Vanishing Half and Passing

Abstract

Hybrid identities can develop in reaction to racial discrimination, as people move between various cultural or racial backgrounds to reduce discrimination or receive social approval. These hybrid areas, situated amidst racial divides, serve as battlegrounds where individuals navigate their identities to sidestep discrimination or seize opportunities.  Racial discrimination has the power to influence the development of hybrid identities, leading people to blend racial boundaries or pretend to be a different race to avoid discrimination or access societal advantages. The theme of racial discrimination is also visible in the selected texts The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and Passing by Nella Larsen and have not been explored from the perspective of the creation of hybrid identities and the formation of hybrid spaces through social norms. The study utilizes Bhabha's (1994) Theory of Hybridity and Stanton's (1965) character analysis model. The study investigates the role of social norms in creating hybrid spaces for protagonists and the role of Mimicry in the formation of hybrid identities of protagonists relating it to their sense of belonging. The research concludes that social norms and perception are responsible for creation of hybrid spaces of marginalized community and after gaining dual identity people suffer from isolation and loss of sense of self within themselves.

Keywords: Mimicry; Hybrid Identities; Hybrid Spaces; Social Norms; Passing; Sense of Belonging