Embodying the Chameleon Self: A Transcultural Analysis of Identity in Sabyn Javeri’s “A World without Men

Abstract

This paper explores the instances of transculturality in Sabyn Javeri’s short story “A World Without Men” to examine the portrayal of transcultural experiences in the diasporic author’s work. Javeri’s work engages in the celebration of a new transcultural phenomena due to the increasing developments in the relationships between individuals belonging to different nations and cultures at a global level. Therefore, a reflection of this seems to manifest itself in the new literature produced by writers having cosmopolitan identities. This paper examines the selected short story published in the collection Hijabistan from a transcultural perspective. It employs Richard Slimbach’s theoretical lens presented in his essay “The Transcultural Journey”. This paper analyses the transcultural locale that has been portrayed in the selected text. The study focusses on the ways this particular locale creates and provides opportunities to experience a transcultural relationship amongst themselves. This study also focusses on the shifts that take place in the character’s worldviews as they are presented with the new and challenging transcultural phenomena. Furthermore, it seeks to establish a link between the changing viewpoints as a result of transculturalism and the evolution of identity experienced by the fictional characters in the short story. This study falls into the category of qualitative research and follows the method of textual analysis in order to read the primary text from a transcultural perspective.