Hybridity and Memory: Inclusive Identity Constructs in Naomi Shihab Nye’s Diasporic Verse

Abstract

The present article explores how Naomi Shihab Nye’s poetry navigates cultural identity. It looks closely at Making a Fist (1995), My Father and the Fig Tree (2002) and Different Ways to Pray (2006). Using ideas from postcolonial and multicultural theorists like Stuart Hall, Homi K. Bhabha, and Charles Taylor, the paper discusses how Nye’s vivid images, memory, and everyday moments show Arab American identity as a changing and active process. The analysis suggests that Nye’s poems go beyond describing displacement or nostalgia. For Nye, differences among cultures and identity are to be celebrated and received with a sense of inclusion among individuals and communities. The study shows that Nye keeps and reshapes Arab American identity through memory, daily experiences, and symbols. Her poetry is an important part of American literature and multicultural conversations.