IDENTITY AND HERITAGE IN HOBSON’S THE REMOVED:A CULTURAL STUDY

Abstract

This paper examines Hobson’s The Removed (2021) through the theoretical framework of Stuart Hall’s (1996) cultural studies, with a particular focus on the construction of identity, the trauma of cultural displacement and the lingering effects of colonial violence. Hall’s (1996) theory conceptualizes identity as fluid, historically contingent and constructed through cultural representation—an idea that resonates deeply with the fragmented and saturated experiences of the novel’s characters. This study explores how Hobson (2021) captures both personal and collective trauma, centres indigenous resistance and critiques the persistent suppression and erasure of marginalized voices. The brutal killing of Ray-Ray, a young Cherokee boy shot by a white police officer, serves as a haunting catalyst that exposes the ongoing racialized violence and systemic injustice faced by Indigenous people. Characters like Maria, Ernest, Edgar and the ancestral figure Tsala embody a continuous struggle to preserve cultural heritage and reclaim a sense of belonging within a landscape marked by genocide, forced displacement and institutionalized racism. By engaging with Hall’s (1996) notions of cultural hybridity, ideological struggle and the politics of representation, this thesis argues that The Removed (2021) functions not only as a narrative of mourning and memory, but also as a powerful act of cultural reclamation. Ultimately, the study contributes to wider conversations in postcolonial literature and Native American studies, emphasizing literature’s potential to bear witness to historical pain, reclaim suppressed heritage and reimagine cultural identity.