THE REPRESENTATION OF NATIONAL IDENTITY IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN AND UZBEK LITERATURE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract

This article examines the representation of national identity in contemporary American and Uzbek literature from a comparative perspective. It explores how literary texts reflect and construct cultural values, historical memory, and personal consciousness within two distinct yet comparable literary traditions. Drawing on comparative literary methodology and selected theoretical approaches to identity, the study analyzes the ways in which national identity is articulated through character construction, symbolic imagery, cultural motifs, and narrative discourse. The article argues that contemporary American literature often presents identity as plural, fluid, and negotiated within multicultural social realities, whereas contemporary Uzbek literature more frequently emphasizes continuity, collective memory, spirituality, and moral responsibility. Despite these differences, both traditions reveal that literature remains a vital space for preserving cultural heritage and interpreting social transformation. The findings demonstrate that literary representations of national identity perform not only an aesthetic function but also an important cultural and ideological role in shaping collective self-understanding.