Reimagining Modernity: Transcultural Narratives and the Reconstruction of Identity in Contemporary Global Literature

Authors

  • Sau Ying Kwong Department of Social Science, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College Penang Branch, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64229/dq1nkn56

Keywords:

Transcultural Narratives, Hybrid Identity, Global Modernity, Multilingualism, Narrative Fragmentation, World Literature, Cultural Mobility, Literary Hybridity

Abstract

This study examines how contemporary transcultural narratives reconstruct identity and reimagine modernity in an increasingly interconnected global world. Through a qualitative methodology grounded in close reading, transcultural theory, postcolonial thought, and world literature frameworks, the research analyzes a selection of literary texts that portray hybrid identities, linguistic plurality, fragmented memory, and cultural displacement. The findings reveal that transcultural narratives challenge fixed notions of national, linguistic, and historical belonging by presenting identity as a fluid and negotiated process shaped by movement, translation, and intercultural encounters. These works destabilize the linear, Eurocentric model of modernity and instead articulate modernity as a plural, contested, and multilayered experience. Aesthetic strategies such as multilingualism, narrative fragmentation, polyphony, and intertextual blending further demonstrate how literature captures the complexity of global subjectivity. Ultimately, the study argues that transcultural literature not only reflects the cultural conditions of global modernity but actively participates in reshaping its conceptual boundaries. By illuminating the tensions and creative possibilities of hybrid existence, transcultural narratives expand the imaginative and theoretical horizons of contemporary literary studies.

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Published

2025-12-30

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