Linguistic Hybridity and Identity: Analyzing Code-Switching Practices in Meatless Days by Sara Suleri

This study investigates the phenomenon of linguistic hybridity and identity construction through an analysis of code-switching practices in Meatless Days (2014 edition) by Sara Suleri. Drawing upon Myers-Scotton’s Markedness Model (1993) and Homi K. Bhabha’s concept of hybridity (1994) the paper explores how Suleri’s strategic alternation between English and indigenous languages embodies cultural negotiation, diasporic belonging, and postcolonial identity formation. By examining selected excerpts where code-switching occurs, the analysis highlights how linguistic choices function as markers of social relations, power dynamics, and cultural memory. The findings suggest that Suleri’s use of code-switching is not a mere stylistic device but a powerful discursive strategy that reflects her hybrid subjectivity and unsettles fixed notions of language, identity, and nationhood. Ultimately, this research contributes to broader discussions on postcolonial literature, sociolinguistics, and the ways multilingual practices shape individual and collective identities.