The Poetics of Borders and Identity: Representation of Culture and Transcultural in The Shadow Lines

The formation of an individual's identity is marked by a singular integration of borders and cultures. The phenomenon of transculturalism has contributed to an increase in the breadth of debate over the nature of the connection between the two. This analysis aims to analyze the novel The Shadow Lines by Amitave Ghosh from the viewpoints of boundaries, transculturalism, and the building of identities. It will be claimed that boundaries in this context imply both possibilities and restrictions, a point that is fully reflected upon in the contrasting viewpoints of nationalism and transculturalism. Epstein’s transcultural vision of "crossroads of civilizations," will provide the framework to debate interlinks of border and possibilities of being transcultural in a rigidly nationalist context.