CONSTRUCTING IDENTITY THROUGH REPRESENTATION AND SOCIAL RELATION IN ZADIE SMITH’S SWING TIME NOVEL (2016)

Abstract

This study discusses how identity is constructed through representation and social relations in Zadie Smith's novel Swing Time (2016), focusing on issues of race, social class, friendship, and personal ambition. This study uses Stuart Hall's theory of representation and identity, which views identity not as something fixed or essential, but as a process that is continuously shaped and negotiated through practices of representation and social relations. The research method used is descriptive qualitative with a literary text analysis approach, through close reading of the narrative, relationships between characters, and social patterns that are repeated in the novel. The results of the analysis show that identity in Swing Time is shaped through unequal power relations, particularly in the context of friendship, class structure, and the racial experiences of the characters. This novel represents identity as the result of difference, visibility, and marginalization, rather than as a purely individual choice. Furthermore, personal ambition is depicted as being greatly influenced by social structures that limit access to recognition and social mobility. This study concludes that Swing Time functions as a cultural text that critiques the formation of identity in contemporary society through the lens of representation and power relations.