Racial discrimination is a pervasive theme in postcolonial discourse, with white Europeans frequently asserting their superiority over individuals with darker skin tones. This was most prominently displayed in South Africa, where apartheid policies were legally established. Notable among these were the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act and the Immorality Act, which prohibited sexual relations and marriages between whites and blacks. The Group Areas Act restricted black individuals from accessing areas reserved for whites, allowing only black workers with state approval to enter. The Population Registration Act categorized Africans into racial groups based on their appearance, education, and behavior. Perhaps the most harmful apartheid laws were the Bantu Authorities Act and the Abolition of Passes and Coordination of Documents Act. The Bantu Authorities Act confined all Africans to their native lands, paving the way for the denationalization of black and colored Africans. The Abolition of Passes and Coordination of Documents Act required all Africans to carry identity documents that included a photograph, fingerprints, and work history, with harsh penalties for those who could not present a passbook. The fiction of Nadine Gordimer and J.M. Coetzee, both white South African authors, depicts how apartheid has devastated the country morally, emotionally, and economically. Coetzee’s characters are often privileged whites who are forced to confront the material and psychological harm apartheid caused to black Africans. Racism is also a prominent theme in the works of Walcott, Kincaid, Fanon, and Danticat.

In occupied regions, colonizers often asserted dominance by enforcing their language on local populations and banning indigenous languages. Educational systems played a key role in maintaining this linguistic control. Postcolonial writers address the language issue in various ways. Authors like Danticat and Walcott mix the colonizers' language with their native dialects, creating a hybrid language that reflects the fragmented identity of the colonized mind. In contrast, others, like Ngugi, completely rejected English, choosing to write solely in Gikuyu, arguing that using English perpetuates the erasure of Africans' precolonial history. Another method is demonstrated by Silko, who, in her novel Ceremony, weaves traditional English storytelling with Native American folklore. This approach underscores the need for Native Americans to integrate different viewpoints, narratives, and existences to build a cohesive identity. Some critics express concern that postcolonial literature chosen for academic study is often selected for its postmodern style rather than its portrayal of the real-world oppression faced by people from former colonies.

Postcolonial authors often delve into the theme of identity, either overtly or subtly, as they strive to reconnect with a forgotten history. This endeavor is complicated by the necessity of using the colonizers' language, which hinders their journey to rediscover who they were or aspired to be. The concept of hybridity reveals the futility of returning to a past era. Hybridity involves the merging of customs and symbols from both the colonizers and the colonized, forming a core element of the postcolonial experience that is reflected throughout postcolonial literature. The colonizers and the colonized are intricately linked, creating a cultural exchange that can be both advantageous and detrimental, often evoking mixed emotions among writers.

Hybridity challenges the belief that any individual or nation holds an "unspoiled" or fixed identity, suggesting that the pursuit of such a state is driven by an unrealistic longing for the past. This idea prompts inquiries into whether colonized societies can resist adopting the traits and perspectives of their colonizers. In A Small Place, Kincaid exemplifies this issue by showing how Antiguans have become "Anglicized" in their mindset. The notion of hybridity also disputes the stereotypical depictions of colonized people, like terms such as "black consciousness" or "Indian soul," which suggest uniformity. These broad generalizations overlook the variety within colonized communities and reinforce artificial distinctions between them and their colonizers. For example, Danticat’s character Sophie struggles with her identity amidst the intricate blend of languages and cultures into which she is born and must navigate. Her relocation to New York City further complicates her identity as she faces an evolving Haitian diaspora culture.