INTERGENERATIONAL CONFLICT AND HYBRID IDENTITY FORMATION IN ZADIE SMITH’S WORKS
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Key words. Hybrid identity, intergenerational conflict, cultural hybridity, third space, multiculturalism.##article.abstract##
Abstract. This article looks at the clash between generations and the formation of mixed identities in Zadie Smith’s writing, mainly focusing on White Teeth (2000) and Swing Time (2016). Smith, a British author with Jamaican and English roots, is in a great position to explore the cultural tensions in postcolonial Britain. Her novels show the emotional, ideological, and cultural gaps that appear between immigrant parents and their children who are born or raised in Britain. Through vivid character portrayals and nonlinear storytelling, Smith illustrates that cultural hybridity is not just about mixing identities but also about conflict and contradiction. The article uses ideas from Homi Bhabha, Stuart Hall, and Paul Gilroy to explore how identity is always changing in the ‘third space’ created by migration, memory, and multiculturalism. Ultimately, Smith’s characters reflect the difficult, often unresolved journey of forming mixed identities amid the weight of history, family, and belonging.
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1. Bhabha, Homi K. The Location of Culture. Routledge, 1994.
2. Smith, Zadie. White Teeth. Hamish Hamilton, 2000.
3. Smith, Zadie. Swing Time. Hamish Hamilton, 2016.
4. Gilroy, Paul. The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness. Harvard University Press, 1993.
5. Hall, Stuart. “Cultural Identity and Diaspora.” Identity: Community, Culture, Difference, edited by Jonathan Rutherford, Lawrence & Wishart, 1990.
6. Brah, Avtar. Cartographies of Diaspora: Contesting Identities. Routledge, 1996.
7. Bentley, Nick. “Re-writing Englishness: Imagining the Nation in Zadie Smith’s White Teeth.” Textual Practice, vol. 21, no. 3, 2007, pp. 483–504.
