Fluidity and Fragmentation: Stuart Hall’s Theory of Cultural Identity in A Song of Ice and Fire

Subject Areas : Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation

Hadiseh Alishiri ¹ , Hossein Moradi ^{2 *} , Fazel Asadi Amjad ³

1 - Department of English Language and Literature, Ka. C., Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran.
2 - Department of English Language and Literature, Ka. C., Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran.
3 - Department of Foreign Languages, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2025-05-01 Accepted : 2025-08-01 Published : 2025-08-04

Keywords: Cultural identity, Stuart Hall, A Song of Ice and Fire, fantasy literature, diaspora, liminality,

Abstract :

This research examines the application of Stuart Hall’s cultural identity theories on the multidimensional identities present in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF). To some degree, all characters in ASOIAF exhibit Hall’s fluid concept of identity as shaped through language and culture, which is constantly unfolding over time. The focus centers around the Starks' association with the North, Daenerys Targaryen’s self-exploration journey as a displaced royal, and Tyrion Lannister's duality of belonging and exclusion. Analyzing the Stark motto “The North remembers,” this study illustrates how collective memory can divide communities as much as it can unify them —as Hall argues, identity is multifaceted. Daenerys does not simply exist in a dualistic framework; she embodies the idea of diasporic identity —caught between her roots and cultures in Essos. At the same time, without fully conforming to either side, Tyrion depicts that competing social forces characterize constructed identities in his struggle within family dynamics and societal expectations. This research enhances the study of fantasy fiction by linking cultural theory to speculative narrative. It sheds greater light on the identity conflicts in ASOIAF, particularly regarding inclusion and representation. More significantly, it argues that Martin not only avoids engaging with some of Hall’s concepts but also counters them, particularly within the medieval fantastical universe he constructs.

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