Özet:

The dilemma of identity has been one of the main issues in colonial and postcolonial literature. The very concept of ‘identity’ in a colonial society is accompanied by ambiguity. The colonial societies try to define themselves, constantly. On the other hand, settlements and colonies find themselves trapped in the dilemma of discovering themselves. Tension between the dominated and dominating societies causes the rising of new identity problems. Place and displacement, which is another major concern, also creates a postcolonial crisis of identity. For Homi K. Bhabha, all cultural statements and systems are constructed in this ambivalent space of enunciation. On the other hand, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel explains why people changes due to the dialectic related with ‘self’ and ‘other’. In Shooting An Elephant, George Orwell uses his writing to confess the inner conflict of sub-devisional, imperial police officer of a town in Burma and reflects his in-between position with references to imperialism, colonialism and cultural identiy. Therefore this study has been analyzed with references to colonial and postcolonial cultural identity problems in the light of Bhabian and Hegelian perspectives. Key words: Identity, colonialism, ambiguity, Bhabha, Orwell, Hegel, space, cultural difference, in-betweenness, other, imperial.

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