A POSTCOLONIAL READING OF HYBRIDITY IN THE ARSONISTS’ CITY BY HALA ALYAN

Abstract

The Arsonists’ City by Hala Alyan depicts the story of displaced immigrants who face the issues of hybridity and identity. The story's hybridity and identity are problematic since the colonial past impacts the protagonists' personal and social identities. The current article examines the novel's main protagonists' complicated self-discovery as they struggle with their culture and colonialism. Alyan uses many characters to show identity development in a postcolonial milieu where people struggle with their origin, culture, and history. Hybridity, an essential concept in postcolonial discourse, shows how cultures interact. The novel masterfully portrays postcolonial themes. In The Arsonists’ City, the characters develop hybrid identities to adapt to a new society, crossing various civilizations, overcoming geographical and cultural challenges, and meeting individuals from diverse backgrounds. Alyan's work challenges literary norms about cultural and national identity through blended identities. The study analyses postcolonial power relations and illuminates displaced people's struggle for agency and acknowledgement, adding to the knowledge of historically silenced people fighting for historical justice. Power and colonizer-colonized relations are quiet but emphasized throughout the novel. This postcolonial analysis explains how The Arsonists’ City reflects and actively participates in postcolonial identity creation.