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While numerous Indians migrated for diverse reasons during the British colonial era, Ismith Khan’s The Jumbie Bird provides a nuanced examination of Indo-Trinidadian identity through the lens of one family’s experiences. The novel vividly portrays their struggle between preserving cultural roots and adapting to new beginnings in Trinidad. It chronicles three generations of the Khan family, highlighting their transition from Indian immigrants to integrated members of Trinidadian society. Central to the narrative is the tension between the patriarch Kale Khan’s desire for repatriation to India and the push for permanent settlement in Trinidad. This tension reflects the broader challenge faced by the Indo-Trinidadian community in balancing their Indian heritage with their emerging Caribbean identity. Khan’s use of Afro-Caribbean mythology, particularly the symbolic jumbie bird, further enriches the narrative, illustrating the cultural hybridisation inherent in the creolisation process. Bhabha’s approach to cultural hybridity describes how such hybrid cultural products can serve subversive ends, estranging the authority of dominant cultural discourse by allowing ‘denied’ pieces of knowledge to impinge upon it. This aligns with Frantz Fanon’s view that the violent trauma of colonialism strips individuals of their sense of being human and of dignity, perpetuating psychological trauma through changing epistemologies and maintaining hierarchical binaries. The novel also delves into themes of resistance against colonialism, the generational transmission of trauma and resilience, and the evolving dynamics of community and solidarity. By analysing these elements, the study seeks to uncover how The Jumbie Bird addresses the intricacies of cultural identity formation within the post-colonial context of Trinidad. Ultimately, this research aims to understand how The Jumbie Bird navigates the tension between advocating for repatriation to India and the push for permanent settlement in Trinidad, and how this tension reveals the complexities of Indo-Trinidadian identity formation.

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The Jumbie Bird’s Identity Jigsaw: Tales of Roots and Rebirth

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Annalise Benjamin

摘要

While numerous Indians migrated for diverse reasons during the British colonial era, Ismith Khan’s The Jumbie Bird provides a nuanced examination of Indo-Trinidadian identity through the lens of one family’s experiences. The novel vividly portrays their struggle between preserving cultural roots and adapting to new beginnings in Trinidad. It chronicles three generations of the Khan family, highlighting their transition from Indian immigrants to integrated members of Trinidadian society. Central to the narrative is the tension between the patriarch Kale Khan’s desire for repatriation to India and the push for permanent settlement in Trinidad. This tension reflects the broader challenge faced by the Indo-Trinidadian community in balancing their Indian heritage with their emerging Caribbean identity. Khan’s use of Afro-Caribbean mythology, particularly the symbolic jumbie bird, further enriches the narrative, illustrating the cultural hybridisation inherent in the creolisation process. Bhabha’s approach to cultural hybridity describes how such hybrid cultural products can serve subversive ends, estranging the authority of dominant cultural discourse by allowing ‘denied’ pieces of knowledge to impinge upon it. This aligns with Frantz Fanon’s view that the violent trauma of colonialism strips individuals of their sense of being human and of dignity, perpetuating psychological trauma through changing epistemologies and maintaining hierarchical binaries. The novel also delves into themes of resistance against colonialism, the generational transmission of trauma and resilience, and the evolving dynamics of community and solidarity. By analysing these elements, the study seeks to uncover how The Jumbie Bird addresses the intricacies of cultural identity formation within the post-colonial context of Trinidad. Ultimately, this research aims to understand how The Jumbie Bird navigates the tension between advocating for repatriation to India and the push for permanent settlement in Trinidad, and how this tension reveals the complexities of Indo-Trinidadian identity formation.