ManuScript Details
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Paper Id:
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IJGRD1027
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Title:
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THE BUREAUCRATIC PRODUCTION OF IDENTITY: NAMING, DOCUMENTS, AND THE MAKING OF THE SELF IN THE NAMESAKE
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| Published in: |
International Journal of Global Research and Development |
| Publisher: |
IJGRD |
| ISSN: |
3139-7093 |
| Volume / Issue: |
Volume 1 Issue 5 |
| Pages: |
7
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| Published On: |
8/11/2026 9:15:17 AM (MM/dd/yyyy) |
Main Author Details
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Name:
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Dr. S. Sujitha |
| Institute: |
Jawahar Science College, Neyveli |
Co - Author Details
| Author Name |
Author Institute |
| Mrs. B. Dhivya |
Jawahar Science College, Neyveli |
| Mrs. V. Sudha |
Jawahar Science College, Neyveli |
Abstract
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Research Area:
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Languages and Literature |
| KeyWord: |
Bureaucratic Identity; Naming; Institutional Power; Selfhood; Identity Formation; Documentation; Jhumpa Lahiri; The Namesake |
| Abstract: |
A person's identity is often understood as a product of family, culture, memory, and personal choice. The Namesake, however, suggests that identity is also shaped by forces that appear ordinary and impersonal. Hospitals, birth records, school registers, passports, legal documents, and official procedures quietly participate in determining who an individual becomes. This paper argues that Gogol Ganguli's identity crisis emerges not merely from the conflict between Indian heritage and American culture but from the institutional processes that assign, preserve, and alter his official identity. The accidental naming of Gogol in the hospital initiates a bureaucratic chain that extends into every stage of his life, demonstrating how administrative systems transform a temporary necessity into a permanent marker of selfhood. By reading the novel through the lens of bureaucratic identity, this study shifts attention from the familiar concerns of diaspora and hybridity to the less explored relationship between institutional authority and personal existence. The analysis examines the significance of naming, legal documentation, educational records, and the court-approved name change to show that bureaucracy functions as an invisible yet decisive force within the narrative. Rather than treating documents as passive records, the paper argues that they actively construct identity, often overriding memory, emotion, and individual preference. In doing so, The Namesake reveals that the modern self is produced not only through cultural inheritance but also through the administrative structures that govern everyday life. |
Citations
Copy and paste a formatted citation or use one of the links to import into a bibliography manager and reference.
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IEEE
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Dr. S. Sujitha , Mrs. B. Dhivya, Mrs. V. Sudha, "THE BUREAUCRATIC PRODUCTION OF IDENTITY: NAMING, DOCUMENTS, AND THE MAKING OF THE SELF IN THE NAMESAKE", International Journal of Global Research and Development,
vol. 1, no. 5, pp. 16-22, 2026.
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MLA
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Dr. S. Sujitha , Mrs. B. Dhivya, Mrs. V. Sudha "THE BUREAUCRATIC PRODUCTION OF IDENTITY: NAMING, DOCUMENTS, AND THE MAKING OF THE SELF IN THE NAMESAKE." International Journal of Global Research and Development,
vol 1, no. 5, 2026, pp. 16-22.
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APA
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Dr. S. Sujitha , Mrs. B. Dhivya, Mrs. V. Sudha (2026). THE BUREAUCRATIC PRODUCTION OF IDENTITY: NAMING, DOCUMENTS, AND THE MAKING OF THE SELF IN THE NAMESAKE. International Journal of Global Research and Development,
1(5), 16-22.
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THE BUREAUCRATIC PRODUCTION OF IDENTITY: NAMING, DOCUMENTS, AND THE MAKING OF THE SELF IN THE NAMESAKE
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