Negotiating Identities: Colonialism and Cultural Hybridity in the Works of Rabindranath Tagore

Abstract

This study examines how Rabindranath Tagore’s literary works address the complexities of identity under colonial rule. It focuses on cultural hybridity as both a challenge and a creative response to imperial dominance. Tagore’s writings appeared during a crucial period in Indian history, shaped by British colonialism and rising nationalist movements. As a global thinker moving between Eastern and Western worlds, Tagore wrestled with questions of identity, belonging, and cultural fusion. His works show how colonial encounters reshape individual and collective identities, leading to hybrid cultural expressions that break the East–West divide. This research uses a qualitative, interpretive method. It conducts close readings of selected Tagore works, including The Home and the World, Gitanjali, and Ghare-Baire. The analysis draws on postcolonial theories, especially Homi Bhabha’s ideas of hybridity and the ‘third space.’ Historical and biographical contexts are also used to deepen the discussion. The study shows that Tagore’s view of identity is neither strictly nationalist nor fully cosmopolitan. His characters often live in hybrid spaces, resisting colonial control while embracing the creativity of cultural dialogue. Through his characters, poetry, and essays, Tagore critiques both imperial rule and narrow nationalism. He imagines a cultural identity built on openness, ethical engagement, and adaptation, not on exclusion or imitation. Tagore’s work offers a strong critique of fixed identities. He promotes a pluralistic vision of culture and selfhood, one that anticipates modern postcolonial ideas about globalization, transnationalism, and cultural fluidity