Cultural Performativity, Identity Struggles, and Displacement in Amit Chaudhuri’s A New World: An Exploration through Milton Singer’s Theory of Cultural Performance

Abstract

From the viewpoint of the depth of displacement and identity, which focuses on the perspectives of personal exploration nourished by the theory of Cultural Performance by Milton Singer, is the manifestation of cultural performativity in cross-cultural experiences. This article vividly speaks about the story of a seven-year-old Bonny from A New World, perfectly penned by Amit Chaudhuri. The novel challenges the conventional adaptations between American and Indian culture, where the Jayojit and his wife admit their son Bonny to the circumambient via their separation. Here, Milton Singer’s theory of Cultural Performance plays a vital part in Bonny’s daily routine in India, where he comes to spend his summer vacation in his grandparents’ house. Concentrating on his activities based on both cultures, readers tend to question Bonny’s identity by restricting his freedom of action and innocence. In order to adapt, the characters from A New World who returned from America struggled to perform Indian culture in their day-to-day life of food, fashion, bodily expressions, rituals, and customs to construct identity in displacement. In that mainly, little Bonny experiences difficulties in every moment of his dogmatic situation because Milton Singer says that India cannot turn to the modern way cause of the tie with its religion and tradition along with the historical appeal. The paper discusses the way Bonny, by practicing both cultures, tries to accommodate himself with his grandparents’ love and father’s control in his mother’s absence. It even argues with Milton Singer’s point of Western ethnocentrism and advises the readers to look at each culture on its own terms. Furthermore, this qualitative research paper ventures deep into the theory of Cultural Performance and brings out the various aspects of performative discourses.