Who, Me?

This work is looking at and asking you to consider your cultural identity and how this helps or hinders your definition of ‘self’. Through the consideration of Rudyard Kipling and his Indian Works, we aim to demonstrate the complexity of cultural identity and how this presents in our self-awareness, self-perception, and biases.

For Kipling, his confusion stemmed from not only the globalisation of the world during the late 19th-early 20th century blurring borders but also the fact he was an Anglo-Indian; his journey and experiences in India juxtaposed against the British Colonial ideology of the 'civilising mission' and created a cultural ambiguity that filtered into his works and beliefs.

Looking at his travels, we can begin to understand the diverse life Rudyard Kipling led and how this would have defined him as both a writer and man.

Emphasis on Rudyard Kipling's upbringing aids in understanding why he had conflict and contradictions throughout his psyche; paternalism was fostered towards India whilst his experience of England solidified Victorian Values of civility and propriety.

However, he also diverted from norms of whole-heartedly endorsing utilitarianism rife in British ideology at the time. Instead his cultural identity created an understanding of multiple people's varying positions which often counteracted the British viewpoint he should have promoted and showing his internal cultural paradox.

*Utilitarianism: the doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority.

He brilliantly sets out the conflict between different cultures but he evades for the most part the conflict within the individual himself.

Throughout his career Kipling was able to formulate an India that he had monopoly over for the British population and even now you can't think of 'Ruddy' Kipling without the tropic sub-continent. These depictions were able to garner him success whilst helping form a literary style that can still be considered despite controversy over his imperialist view.

In the scenic countryside of East Sussex, Bateman's represented a sanctuary of privacy for the renowned author and his family and much like a Cabinet of Curiosities, this represented Kipling's status, wealth and travels whilst also helping understand the importance of the objects in our own houses. Here is a video that shows the quintessential English exterior at odds with the diverse treasures inside...much like the man himself.

Examples of the various items and their origins help gain insight into the extent of Kipling's travels in India, want of association and breadth of British influence across India.

True understanding of our personal cultural identity and how this impacts our views of the world, helps reflect on why we believe in certain concepts and ideologies, why we align with certain issues and even people and how this changes the way we see communications like art and literature.

Below are works created by individuals who considered their Cultural 'Self' to produce a visual representation of their experience. The aim of this was to spark conversations around questions like:

• What does your 'Cultural Identity' mean to you?
• Why is it important?
• How can understanding this help you?

As an Anglo-Indian, Rudyard Kipling's dive into his identity was mainly through the story of Kim (1901), exploring his idea of self, cultural ambiguity and his role as an observer and interpreter. The story of an Irish Orphan growing up on the streets of Lahore, with the know-how and tan to pass for a native, hits close to home for a depiction of Rudyard Kipling during his time in India. 'Little Friend of All the World', Kim takes on the Great Game as an agent of the Empire, much like Kipling's sense of duty firmly grounded his support of colonial governance. Even so, the colours and warmth injected into the story displays his love for the country, even if he thought it required partial reformation.

 ^{Though he was burned black as any native; though he spoke the vernacular by preference, and his mother-tongue in a clipped uncertain sing-song; though he consorted on terms of perfect equality with the small boys of the bazar; Kim was white— a poor white of the very poorest.}  

As a British-Indian, almost the mirror-image of Kipling, my understanding of cultural ambiguity and the confusion this creates helps me understand the nuances in Kipling's writing whilst also making me impartial towards the natives in his Indian stories. Recognising the inherent biases I possess when reading Kipling’s work allows me to delineate between personal feeling and intellectual understanding and appreciation crucial to historical research and debate. However, when considering my own experiences of cultural identity, a missing sense of belonging occasionally brings about an instability of self which manifests in feeling out of place.

I am more than my colour, but I am also my colour.  Brown eyes and skin in a world of black and white. 

G.K - British-Asian Mum of 4

A.K - Cosmopolitan

If you would like to participate in our gallery, please contact: rrk117@student.aru.ac.uk