Hybridity and national identity in postcolonial literature Every human being, in addition to having his or her own personal identity, has a sense of who he or she is in relation to the larger community: the nation. Postcolonial studies is the attempt to eliminate the conventional perspective and examine what national identity might be for a postcolonial subject. Reading literature from the perspective of postcolonial studies means seeking – listening to that indigenous and representative voice that can inform the world of the essence of existence as a colonial subject or postcolonial citizen. Postcolonial authors use their literature and poetry to consolidate, through criticism and celebration, an emerging national identity, which they have taken it upon themselves to represent. Surely, the revaluation of national identity is an ultimate and essential outcome of a country gaining independence from a colonial power, or a country emerging from a fledgling settler colony. However, claiming to be representative of all that identity is a huge undertaking for an author trying to convey a postcolonial message. Each nation, province, island, state, neighborhood and individual represents a unique fusion of history, culture, language and tradition. Only by understanding and embracing the idea of ​​cultural hybridity in an attempt to explore the concept of national identity can an individual, or a nation, truly hope to understand or communicate the lasting effects of the colonial process. Postcolonialism is the continuous shedding of the old skin. of Western thought and discourse and the emergence of a new self-awareness, critique and celebration. With this self-awareness comes self-expression. But how should the i… middle of paper… a financial institution – a voice that can articulate its sense of national identity. But the exploration of these societies and the literature produced by postcolonial authors and poets illustrates that there are a truly infinite number of different circumstances inherent in each postcolonial society and, consequently, in each piece of literature produced by postcolonial writers. If you want to read this literature in a way that can shed light on the postcolonial condition, you need to understand and adopt the theory that we are all a walking fusion of our own unique cultures and traditions. We are all always struggling with our identity, personal and national. We must understand that there is no "one true voice" that represents an easily identifiable postcolonial condition, but, instead, each author is their own voice and must be read as such.