Citizen of the world: Post-colonial identity in the works of V. S. Naipaul (Trinidad and Tobago)

The scope of this dissertation is to explore identity formation reflected in selected works of fiction and non-fiction by V. S. Naipaul. I frame Naipaul's representation of colonial identity as hybrid upon cultural theories of Stuart Hall, Homi Bhabha, and James Clifford. I also argue that his articulation of (Post-) Colonial identity has been influenced by his understanding of history, his Hindu background, and the act of writing. I propose that all these elements interact and help shape Naipaul as a subject. My reading of Naipaul's works also shows that his writing career is itself his quest for this constructed identity which he suggests as an identity for multi-cultural people especially of the second half of the twentieth century.