Open City explores the narrator’s racial identity, as well as the diverse identities of the people he meets in New York City and Brussels. Because he was born and raised in Nigeria, Julius sees his identity as different from that of Black Americans who are the descendants of enslaved people. Members of this latter group often want to connect with Julius because of their shared racial identity. For instance, a patient, Mr. F., says to him, “Doctor, I just want to tell you how proud I am to come here, and see a young black man like yourself in that white coat, because things haven’t ever been easy for us, and no one has ever given nothing without a struggle” (210). The patient forms a connection to Julius based on race; Julius doesn’t reject that connection, but he feels a degree of alienation, realizing that their common bond is not as straightforward as Mr. F. may think.

Throughout the novel, Julius considers identity as a complex network of commonalities and differences. He references Yoruban religious culture at a few points throughout the novel and considers how it differs from other religions. When he sees a woman praying through his window, he thinks, “Others are not like us, I thought to myself, their forms are different from ours.