The Complexity of Cultural Purity: Analyzing its Depiction in White Teeth
by Crest , bol , iherb Cultural purity is a concept that has been debated for centuries. The idea that a culture can be pure, untainted, or uncontaminated by external influences has been used to justify everything from xenophobia to genocide. However, the concept of cultural purity is problematic because it assumes that cultures exist in a vacuum, unaffected by external forces. This assumption is unrealistic, as cultures have always been in a state of flux, shaped and reshaped by external influences. The novel White Teeth by Zadie Smith explores the question of cultural purity through the lens of the immigrant experience in the United Kingdom. The novel centers on the lives of two families, the Joneses and the Iqbals, who are immigrants from Jamaica and Bangladesh, respectively. The novel highlights the struggles that these families face as they try to navigate their new home while also maintaining their cultural identity. Throughout the novel, the question of cultural purity is r