INTERWEAVING SPIRITUALITY, CULTURAL HYBRIDITY AND LINGUISTIC EXPRESSION IN ISHMAEL SCOTT REED’S MUMBO JUMBO

R Krishnaveni; B LalithaDevi; Aravindan  Balakrishnan; R Kanagaselvam; Shilpagauri P Ganpule; D ShyillaJuliet; C Samsonraj; V.Srija

doi:10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i5s.2026.7686

Authors

Dr. R Krishnaveni Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of English, School of Sciences and Humanities, SR University, Telangana, India
Dr. B LalithaDevi Assistant Professor, Department of English, School of Sciences and Humanities, SR University, Telangana, India
Dr. Aravindan Balakrishnan University Lecturer, English Unit, Preparatory Studies Center, University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman
Dr. R Kanagaselvam Professor Department of English Nandha College of Technology Erode, Tamil Nadu
Shilpagauri P. Ganpule Professor, Department of English, Pune District Education Association’s Prof Ramakrishna More College, Pune, India
Dr. D ShyillaJuliet Guest Lecturer, Department of English, Government Arts College, Udhagamandalam, Tamil Nadu, India
Dr. C Samsonraj Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu, India
Dr.V.Srija Assistant professor, Department of English, Sri Sai Ram Engineering College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i5s.2026.7686

Keywords:

Spirituality, Cultural Hybridity, Historical Allusions, Verbal Experimentation, Neo-Hoodoo

Abstract [English]

The prominent African American writer Ishmael Scott Reed’s works are known for his satirical and Neo-HooDoo technique in presenting American politics, African people’s identity, and historical narratives. The present article examines Scott Reed’s framework of spirituality, cultural hybridity and linguistic expression in his novel Mumbo Jumbo. The study highlights African and American’s political struggles, their stubbornness in enhancing their culture in a pluralistic literary space, interconnection of myth and spirituality and linguistic expressions. Reed gives importance to spirituality through the major characters and describes how people strive to hold on to their religious beliefs. Reed also describes myth that is interconnected with the Black people’s traditions and rituals. This paper explores the effect of spirituality on cultural hybridity. Reed’s use of words, rhythm, food culture, zoomorphic language and neologism are considered as prominent in the novel. The main focus is given on the linguistic aspect through satirical diction, parody, and figurative speech.

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