Lost in transnation: Culture, nation, and the individual in postcolonial theory

Transnational models of postcolonial theory seek to subvert the role of the nation as the primary, constitutive element of identity. But despite this goal, transnationalism continues to locate culture in the shifting boundaries between nations and relies on national formulations of hybridity. Transnationalism thus depends on (and is limited by) the very concept it attempts to undermine. Praeternationalism, a new postcolonial model, expands on transnationalism and derives an inclusive binary relationship from early Daoist philosophy and Laozi's Daodejing. This circular binary allows praeternationalism to reconcile nation and transnationalism while it simultaneously locates culture and identity beyond nation. The individual becomes the locus of culture, and interactions between individuals are the sites of identity formation. Praeternationalism is demonstrated through case studies of Zadie Smith's White Teeth (which questions the place of nation in identity formation) and Yann Martel's Life of Pi (which portrays individuals as cultural agents detached from nation).