DIASPORA IMAGINATION IN JHUMPA LAHIRI‟S
SHORT STORIES
BY
ALIA FARHANA BINTI ANUAR
A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for
the degree of Master of Human Sciences
(English Literary Studies)
Kulliyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and
Human Sciences
International Islamic University Malaysia
JUNE 2014
ABSTRACT
This qualitative thesis studies nine short stories from Jhumpa Lahiri‟s two collections
of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies and Unaccustomed Earth. The focus of this
thesis is on marital and family relationships in the Indian diaspora and thus,
incorporates theories and concepts on diaspora, hybridity, cultural identity and identity
for critical analysis of the diaspora characters in the selected stories. The objective of
this thesis is to investigate how well Lahiri portrays issues and effects of adjustment
and identity in her Indian diaspora characters living in America. Secondary resources
from libraries were extensively used to substantiate this thesis in the attempt to
contribute to existing knowledge on the phenomenon of Indian diaspora in America.
The thesis concludes that Lahiri has realistically portrayed how her Indian diasporic
subjects positively and negatively intertwine between their traditional culture and
American culture and how this impact their familial relationships.
ii
‫ملخص البحث‬
‫يدرس ىذا البحث النوعي تسع قصص قصرية من جمموعتني (جومبا الىريي) لروايات‬
‫القصرية (املرتمجة من األمراض) (غري املتعودون على األرض (املهاجرون))‪ .‬حمور ىذه‬
‫األرطروةة ىو عن العقاقات الووجةة واألررية ي املهاجرين انهنود ويتتم على ظرريات‬
‫ومفاىةم عن التتات وانهجنة والعادات التقلةدية وانهوية التخصةة لتحلة ظقدي عن‬
‫شخصةات املهاجرين ي القصص املختارة‪ .‬انهدف من ىذه األرطروةة ىو درارة مدى تصور‬
‫(الىريي) لقضايا وآثار التكةف وتأقلم اجلالةة انهندية مع ممةوات الدولة اليت يعةتون فةها‬
‫(أمريكا)‪ .‬ارتخدمت الدرارات موارد ثاظوية من مكتبات إلثبات ىذه الفرضةة على ظطاق‬
‫وارع ي حماولة للمسامهة ي املعرفة القائمة على ظواىر اجلالةة انهندية الذين يعةتون ي‬
‫صورت ي‬
‫أمريكا‪ .‬ختلص األرطروةة أن (الىريي) يصور الناس املهاجرين انهنود كما ُ‬
‫القصص املختارة مما ةص من تتابو بني الثقافة التقلةدية انهندية والثقافة األمريكةة وكقامها‬
‫نهما تأثريات إجيابةة ورلبةة على األررة والعقاقات الووجةة‬
‫‪iii‬‬
APPROVAL PAGE
I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion it conforms
to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and
quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (English Literary
Studies)
……………………………………………
Ghulam-Sarwar Yousof
Supervisor
I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable
standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a
dissertation for the degree of Master of Human Sciences (English Literary Studies)
……………………………………………
Siti Nuraishah Ahmad
Examiner
This dissertation was submitted to the Department of English Language and Literature
and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Human
Sciences (English Literary Studies)
....................................................................
Zahariah Pilus
Head, Department of English
Language and Literature
This dissertation was submitted to the Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and
Human Sciences and is accepted as a fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of
Master of Human Sciences (English Literary Studies)
……………………………………………
Ibrahim Mohamed Zein
Dean, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed
Knowledge and Human Sciences
iv
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own investigations, except
where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently
submitted as a whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions.
Alia Farhana Binti Anuar
Signature…………………………..
Date……………….....
v
INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA
DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND AFFIRMATION
OF FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH
Copyright © 2014 by Alia Farhana binti Anuar. All rights reserved.
DIASPORA IMAGINATION IN JHUMPA LAHIRI’S SHORT
STORIES
No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder except
as provided below.
1.
Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may
only be used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement.
2.
IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print or
electronic) for institutional and academic purposes.
3.
The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieval system
and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other
universities and research libraries.
Affirmed by Alia Farhana binti Anuar.
………………………………….
Signature
………………….
Date
vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Praise is to Allah the Almighty for the blessings and peace upon our Prophet
Muhammad (s.a.w). This thesis could not have been completed without the help and
support of many. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone especially
to Professor Dr. Ghulam-Sarwar Yousof for his time, his support, his understanding
and his guidance in executing this thesis. My appreciation also goes to Salmyyah
Raheem for her continuous assistance and concern. Thank you to my friends Nurul
Ain, Rahimah Rashid, Ira Zaki, Akmal Marzuqi and Nurul Afrah; for pushing me to
finish this thesis when I was on the verge of giving up. To Jonah Mae and SMAP for
being the best cheerleaders when I thought that I could not make it. Lastly, to my
parents, Hajjah Amirah binti Haji Man and Haji Anuar bin Haji Ahmad; for their
prayers, for their love, for their encouragement and for the continuous emotional and
financial support.
To all of them, I convey my thanks.
viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract .................................................................................................................... ii
Abstract in Arabic .................................................................................................... iii
Approval Page .......................................................................................................... iv
Declaration ............................................................................................................... v
Copyright Page......................................................................................................... vi
Dedication ................................................................................................................ vii
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. viii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................. 1
1.1 Background of the Study ........................................................................ 1
1.2 Research Questions ................................................................................ 4
1.3 Scope and Limitations of the Study ....................................................... 5
1.4 Objectives of the Study .......................................................................... 6
1.5 Significance of the Study ....................................................................... 7
1.6 Literature Review ................................................................................... 7
1.7 Theoretical Framework .......................................................................... 11
1.8 Methodology .......................................................................................... 11
1.9 Organisation of Chapters........................................................................ 12
CHAPTER TWO: THEORY OF DIASPORA .................................................. 14
2.1 Diaspora ................................................................................................. 14
2.2 Indian Diaspora ...................................................................................... 16
2.3 Hybridity ................................................................................................ 18
2.4 Cultural Identity ..................................................................................... 21
2.5 Identity ................................................................................................... 25
CHAPTER THREE: MARITAL RELATIONSHIPS IN DIASPORA
CONTEXT .............................................................................................................. 28
3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 28
3.2 The Distortion of the Third Space in “Mrs. Sen‟s” ................................ 28
3.3 The Dislocation of Identity in “Hell-Heaven” ....................................... 31
3.4 The Impact of the Dislocation of Identity in “A Temporary Matter” .... 35
3.5 The Notion of Belonging in “Interpreter of Maladies” .......................... 40
3.6 Clashes of Identity in “This Blessed House” ......................................... 43
3.7 Conclusion.............................................................................................. 47
CHAPTER FOUR: FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS IN DIASPORA
CONTEXT .............................................................................................................. 49
4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 49
4.2 The Third Space in “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” ........................ 49
4.3 Dislocation of Identity in “Unaccustomed Earth”.................................. 55
4.4 The Third Space in “A Choice of Accomodations” ............................... 60
4.5 The Impact of Cultural Identity in “Only Goodness” ............................ 63
4.6 Conclusion.............................................................................................. 67
ix
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION ..................................................................... 69
BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................. 73
x
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
This thesis is a critical study of nine selected short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri as found
in two collections, Interpreter of Maladies (1999) and Unaccustomed Earth (2008),
using the diasporic theory.
A prolific Indian diaspora writer, Lahiri has written two novels, The Namesake
(2003) and The Lowland (2013) and published two collections of short stories,
Interpreter of Maladies (1999) and Unaccustomed Earth (2008). In 2000, Interpreter
of Maladies received the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for the Best Fiction
Debut of the Year Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
There are two reasons why Jhumpa Lahiri‟s works are chosen to be discussed
in the context of diaspora. Firstly, being the daughter of Indian immigrants from
Calcutta who was born in London in 1967 and moved to Long Island, America two
years later, she is a second generation Indian diaspora subject and has personally
experienced what it feels to be an Indian growing up in America. In the article entitled
“My Two Lives”, published in the India-focused Newsweek issue on March 6, 2006,
she discusses her confusion of being a second generation Indian diaspora subject:
When I was growing up in Rhode Island in the 1970s I felt neither
Indian nor American. Like many immigrant offspring I felt intense
pressure to be two things, loyal to the old world and fluent in the new,
approved of on either side of the hyphen.
Amidst her confusion of not knowing which space she belongs to, Lahiri grew
up embracing her hyphenated identity, which is Indian-American:
1
My first book was published in 1999, and around then, on the cusp of a
new century, the term “Indian-American” has become part of this
country‟s vocabulary. I‟ve heard it so often that these days, if asked
about my background, I use the term myself, pleasantly surprised that I
do not have to explain further (Lahiri, 2006).
She reveals that her hyphenated identity no longer confuses her. She is
“intimately familiar with both side(s) of the hyphen although occasionally sparring,
one outshining the other depending on the day” (Lahiri, 2006).
Furthermore, in an interview with Liesl Schillinger (2008) in the New York
Times, she states that her “connection with India is very fundamental but at the same
time very slippery and confusing”. Her confusion about her hyphenated identity
resulted in works such as Interpreter of Maladies and Unaccustomed Earth. In “My
Two Lives”, Lahiri confesses that the reason she writes her stories is because of her
“desire to force the two worlds she occupied to mingle on the page as she was not
brave enough, or mature enough, to allow in life”. Lahiri‟s works are “almost autobiographical because she frequently adapts her own experiences as well as those of
her parents and others in the Bengali communities” (Lahiri, 2006). For her, crafting
her stories is her way of embracing the Indian-American identity. In her short stories,
Lahiri has captured the important essence of longing for India within the first
generation of immigrants as well as the dislocation of identity within the second
generation.
Secondly, the Indian diaspora may well be regarded as an international
phenomenon. Indian communities are scattered globally and it is fascinating to know
about their experiences of living in hybrid cultures. Furthermore, it is engaging to
understand if they are able to balance their hyphenated identity. According to
Gurharpal Singh (2003), the Indian diaspora, also known as Non-Residential Indians,
or NRIs, have “captured the popular imagination in many ways” in addition to
2
positively affecting “the fortunes of the „homeland‟ economy” (1). With concentrated
populations outside India, the NRIs have been able to bring forth issues concerning
their communities to the political front of their host countries and “new patterns of
cultural consumption based on film, music, the arts, fashion, food and the media have
also spearheaded the niche arrival of the Indian diaspora in the world of Western
consumerism” (1). Despite their active presence and participation as well as strength
in their respective host countries, they are still marred by “anxieties of displacement,
homelessness, and a wish to return” (3). This in turn unites the Indian diaspora via “a
consciousness that is sustained by, amongst other things, a sense of distinctiveness,
common history and the belief in a common fate” (3). This consciousness incorporates
various “emotions, links, traditions, feelings and attachments” (4) that psychologically
embraces a longing for their home country. Thus, Pandurang (2008) states that such
diaspora dilemmas in literature is bound to be “primarily dominated by the semantics
of displacement” (274) and writers such as Lahiri “would inevitably centre on tropes
of ambivalence and restlessness; the fear of erasure and various degrees of trauma,
crisis and conflict, all within a specific racial-cultural paradigm” (274).
Lahiri has always been compared to writers of “diaspora fiction” such as
Bharati Mukherjee (1940-) and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (1956-). However, she
does not fully identify herself as a diaspora writer despite being a Bengali Indian
living in America. Lahiri explains that her stories are “less [of] a response to her
parents‟ cultural nostalgia, and more of an attempt to forge her own amalgamated
domain” (Huang, 2003: 126). She attempts to write more about her own experiences
and hardships of growing up as a second generation Indian diaspora living in America.
However, she also writes about the first generation of Indian diaspora subjects‟
experiences living in America because according to her in “My Two Lives”, “the
3
immigrant‟s journey, no matter how ultimately rewarding, is founded on departure
and deprivation, but it secures for the subsequent generation a sense of arrival and
advantage”. If the first generation Indian diaspora subjects did not migrate, there
would be no second generation Indian diaspora subjects.
According to Huang (2003):
Although the setting for Lahiri‟s fictions is not always in India or
features Indian-American characters, Indian-ness is never
overemphasized or exaggerated to render her story to be exotic or
ethnic. Her characters do not act as native informants or appear to be the
embodiment of oriental exotica (126).
It is important to note that Lahiri does not write her stories as something
exotic. Huang‟s statement is in line with Lahiri‟s intention to depict her diaspora
characters facing everyday problems, similar to any other individual regardless of race
and nationality. Furthermore, Lahiri deals most prolifically with the issue of the search
for identity in her stories. The Indian-ness of her characters give readers a peek at how
given situations or problems are solved in the diaspora context.
It is engaging to read Lahiri‟s works because the experiences and dilemmas
that her two generations Indian diaspora subjects endure are vastly different. By
assuming that both generations are different in terms of which values and cultures
they follow in their new home country, this thesis attempts to discover and analyse the
experiences and dilemmas and how diaspora impacts their life.
1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The research questions are as follows:
i.
How does diaspora impact the first and second generation Indian diaspora
subjects?
4
ii. What are the personal, social and cultural difficulties the first and second
generation Indian diaspora subjects encounter?
iii. Can the above difficulties help the first and second generation Indian
diaspora subjects understand themselves better?
iv. Are there any adjustment and identity problems in the first generation
Indian diaspora subjects when they move to a new home country and in
the second generation when they adjust to their new host country?
v.
Can the first and second generation Indian diaspora subjects still identify
themselves solely as Indian when they move to their new host country?
1.3 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The focus of this thesis is on first and second generation Indian diaspora subjects
living in America. This thesis discusses and analyses the two collections of short
stories by Lahiri.
This thesis examines the issues of diaspora, hybridity, cultural identity and
identity in five short stories in Interpreter of Maladies (1999) and four short stories in
Unaccustomed Earth (2008). A total of nine short stories are analysed: “A Temporary
Matter”, “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”, “Interpreter of Maladies”, “Mrs. Sen‟s”
and “This Blessed House” in Interpreter of Maladies (1999) and “Unaccustomed
Earth”, “Hell-Heaven”, “A Choice of Accommodations” and “Only Goodness” in
Unaccustomed Earth (2008).
The thesis focuses on life experiences and issues of diaspora subjects within
the context of familial relationships. The reasons the two themes are chosen is because
firstly, her stories focus heavily on familial relationships such as between husbands
and wives and parents and children. Secondly, from these relationships, the researcher
5
chooses to show how diasporic familial relationships function, the extent to which the
Indian diaspora‟s identity crisis affects familial relationships and whether diaspora
positively or negatively impacts familial relationships.
Interpreter of Maladies is a mixture of first and second generation Indian
diaspora subjects‟ experiences living in America. However, in Unaccustomed Earth,
the tone of the stories shifts towards the second generation Indian diaspora subjects.
This thesis thus develops the works in Interpreter of Maladies and Unaccustomed
Earth by applying the theory of diaspora.
This thesis utilises works written by critics and other writers on the issues of
diaspora, hybridity, cultural identity and identity. Among such critics, theorists and
writers are Stuart Hall, Homi K. Bhabha, A. M. Dobrinescu, M. Kakutani, Yasmin
Hussain, J. E Braziel, A. Mannur, B. Ashcroft, G. Gareth, H. Tiffin and J. Caesar.
Additionally, interviews with Jhumpa Lahiri have also been included to provide
additional insight to this thesis.
The researcher limits this study to only nine short stories based on the themes
of familial relationships in the context of diaspora. For some academicians, the
selections may not sufficient enough. However, these nine stories are the most
substantial in forming a thematic analysis and finding. Additionally, this thesis limits
the broad theory of diaspora to only the concepts of hybridity, cultural identity and
identity. Despite these limitations, the researcher hopes that this study will open up
new perspectives on Jhumpa Lahiri‟s works.
1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of this research are to investigate the impact of diaspora on the first
and second generation Indian diaspora subjects living in America and analyse the
6
difficulties that first and second generation Indian diaspora subjects living in America
endure, how such difficulties enable them to understand themselves better and
whether they can identify themselves solely as Indian when they move to America.
This thesis also aims to examine whether Jhumpa Lahiri‟s stories reflect the
adjustment and identity problems of the Indian diaspora subjects living in America.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This research is expected to contribute significantly to Indian diaspora studies,
especially studies related to Jhumpa Lahiri‟s works as she is among the major
diaspora writers in the Indian diaspora literature circle. Unlike her peers in Indian
diaspora literature, Lahiri was not born in India yet she still writes about the Indian
community, especially the Bengali community, due to being a second generation
Indian diaspora living in America. Thus, research on Lahiri and her works is vital in
order to have a more comprehensive understanding on how her stories can be linked to
this diaspora context.
This thesis concentrates on her short stories from Interpreter of Maladies and
Unaccustomed Earth and highlights a new insight into Indian diaspora literature in her
works. This thesis uses familial relationships as themes to discuss how diaspora
impacts relationships between the first and second generation diaspora subjects.
1.6 LITERATURE REVIEW
The analysis of Jhumpa Lahiri‟s works seeks to expand studies of Indian diaspora
literature. The following literature review will explain how this study could contribute
to the diaspora literature and how the selected short stories could provide a framework
for the study of Indian-American literature.
7
Anca Dobrinescu (2000), in her criticism entitled “Travelling across Cultures”,
describes Lahiri‟s stories as:
… investigating the troubled position of the displaced individual caught
between two cultures which, in most cases, he/she finds unfamiliar. On
a second, more in-depth reading, all the stories record journeys across
visible and invisible frontiers that the characters must transgress in order
to find their real self (101).
The researcher agrees with Dobrinescu‟s observation that Lahiri writes about
the life experiences of Indian diaspora subjects living in an unfamiliar country, here
being America. Lahiri discusses about the struggling relationship of her characters
between India and America and how they feel dislocated when they migrate to a new
place. However, when her stories are read in depth, it is evident that she also discusses
the struggles of her characters in defining their identity in the diaspora context: who
they are, where they belong to and which values they use in order to be comfortable in
their own skins. Kakutani (1999) states that “many of Ms. Lahiri‟s people are Indian
immigrants trying to adjust to a new life in the United States, and their cultural
displacement is a kind of index of a more existential sense of dislocation” (48). The
researcher echoes Kakutani‟s statement that Lahiri uses the sense of dislocation as the
core topic for Interpreter of Maladies. The sense of dislocation not only refers to the
placement of Indian diaspora subjects in a new place, it also refers to the sense of
dislocation felt by the Indian diaspora subjects themselves. Dobrinescu (2000) further
elaborates that:
Lahiri‟s collection seems to resist the stereotypes of Indianness and the
clichés associated with the inevitable clash between the East and the
West…The encounter between the East and the West, the migration of
individuals across national frontiers is nothing but a pretext for Lahiri to
probe deep into the difficulties generated by the encounter between the
self and the other, into the condition of the troubled modern self and,
more importantly, to investigate human nature. (102)
8
Dobrinescu suggests that Lahiri does not model her characters based on
nationality or race even though they are Indian. She models her characters based on
the struggles they undergo or they have to undergo. There will always be conflicts –
normal everyday problems experienced by anyone – which the characters have to
face. Lahiri walks her readers into the characters‟ psyche by presenting how they deal
with conflicts in the diaspora context.
According to Dobrinescu (2000), “Lahiri‟s attempt is to see beyond the visible
frontiers and to plunge deeper into the springs of human action. That is why she
frequently deals with problematic relationships between individuals within one and
the same society, be it American or Indian (103). Lahiri identifies her characters as
human beings rather than Indian. The readers sympathise with her characters more
because they might acknowledge the same inner struggles in understanding
themselves, much like anybody else regardless of nationality or race. Moreover, the
characters are flawed; it is human nature to be imperfect and Lahiri has illustrated this
convincingly in Interpreter of Maladies.
Paul Brians, in his chapter entitled “Jhumpa Lahiri: Interpreter of Maladies” in
his book Modern South Asian Literature in English (2003), claims that Jhumpa
Lahiri‟s works are not so much about immigrants‟ experiences but rather
miscommunication among the characters themselves. He argues that the series of
miscommunication only leaves the readers to label some of the characters as being
more Indian than others. The researcher agrees with Brians‟ observation on the
miscommunication between the first and second generation Indian diaspora subjects
because the generation gap between the two is wide. Both generations do not always
agree with each other. He further observes that “the marriage portrayed by Lahiri may
9
look perfect on the surface but are problematic internally” (89). This is also true as
Lahiri depicts marriage in both her short story collections as an undesirable notion.
In Unaccustomed Earth, Lahiri once again focuses on the sense of dislocation
between the first and second generation Indian diaspora subjects. In her chapter article
entitled “Tension and Conflict in Lahiri‟s Unaccustomed Earth”, Dwidevi (2009)
observes that “Jhumpa Lahiri is a consummate short story writer of expatriate or
diasporic sensibility. This sensibility incorporates multiple spaces” (36). Dwidevi
remarks that Lahiri‟s sensibility expresses itself in “a shifting frame of reference of
multiple worlds” (36). The researcher agrees with Dwidevi‟s observation because
Lahiri does write about the first and second generation Indian diaspora subjects
struggling to find their sense of location. Furthermore, the second generation Indian
diaspora subjects seem to have an issue embracing their hyphenated identity. The
characters in Unaccustomed Earth are more vocal in expressing their thoughts on
Indian cultures and they are also more comfortable in not constricting themselves to
only one culture.
In her academic review, Rendon (2009) comments that in Unaccustomed
Earth:
Some of her characters break the rules and what is expected of them,
others find themselves returning gratefully to familiar, prescribed
terrain, particularly in the realm of marriage. These are contemporary
tales that take many modern realities into account, including the
increasingly multi-ethnic character of life in the U.S. and the dilemmas
first-generation children of immigrants face (68).
Rendon‟s remark that the second generation Indian diaspora subjects have
trouble in embracing their hyphenated identity is similar to what Dwidevi (2009)
observes.
10
Furthermore, Rendon lauds Lahiri for her gift of storytelling. This is certainly
true as Lahiri is able to create diverse situations and endings in her stories. She is able
to delve into the readers‟ psyche by creating a world not only limited to the Bengali
community and show that regardless of background, there will always be difficult
allegiances and choices to make in life. Lahiri balances her stories perfectly between
the clashes of the two cultures and characters struggling to pinpoint their identity.
There is an urgent need to have the most recent and contemporary studies on
her works. Therefore, this thesis studies the experiences and struggles of the Indian
diaspora subjects in the context of diaspora in the hope of contributing not only to
diaspora study but also to further understand Jhumpa Lahiri‟s works.
1.7 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
In this study, theories of diaspora are used when addressing issues between the first
and second generation Indian diaspora subjects in Jhumpa Lahiri‟s collection of short
stories. The three diaspora concepts to be used as supporting tools to analyse the
issues in the selected short stories are hybridity, cultural identity and identity.
A full discussion of these theories is provided in chapter 2.
1.8 METHODOLOGY
This thesis involves a critical reading and analysis of the selected short stories from
Interpreter of Maladies and Unaccustomed Earth. The analysis will then help form a
concrete interpretation in order to discuss the issues related to the first and second
generation Indian diaspora subjects in the diaspora context.
This thesis uses a qualitative approach in exploring issues relevant to the topic
discussed; therefore, by accessing books and other printed and non-printed materials, I
11
have selected works by prominent literary critics and used them as references in order
to analyse and discuss the selected short stories. As references, this thesis discusses
excerpts of published essays on the issues of diaspora, hybridity, cultural identity and
identity that incorporates diaspora perspectives of Homi K. Bhabha, Robert J. C.
Young and Stuart Hall. Apart from that, this thesis also includes articles related to the
study of diaspora literature and diaspora imagery in Lahiri‟s works where the issues
mentioned above are discussed.
The researcher also uses library facilities in order to complete the research
with the aid of relevant books available in the library. Also, information has been
collected from published interviews in established online journals and published
articles on websites related to Indian diaspora literature and the study of diaspora,
hybridity, cultural assimilation and identity. These references contain essential
information will reinforce the author‟s opinions on issues such as familial experiences
in diaspora literature.
1.9 ORGANISATION OF CHAPTERS
In the first chapter, the background of the study is provided along with its literature
review. This chapter introduces the selected short stories as well as the theory of
diaspora and its three concepts which are hybridity, cultural identity and identity.
The second chapter provides further specific and comprehensive explanations
on the theoretical framework. Details on diaspora, hybridity, cultural identity and
identity are also elaborated and several definitions from prominent post-colonial
critics and theorists are also included in the chapter.
The stories are divided according to two themes: marriage and family. The
third chapter discusses marital relationships in diaspora context while the fourth
12
chapter discusses family relationships in diaspora context. The two themes are chosen
because firstly, the stories focus heavily on familial relationships between husbands
and wives and parents and children. Secondly, the researcher chooses to show to show
how diasporic familial relationships function, the extent to which the Indian diaspora‟s
identity crisis affects familial relationships and whether diaspora positively or
negatively impacts familial relationships. The last chapter will include my findings
and whether my research objectives have been achieved.
13
CHAPTER TWO
THEORY OF DIASPORA
This chapter discusses the theory used in this thesis in order to comprehend what is
diaspora and its three concepts which are hybridity, cultural identity and identity.
2.1 DIASPORA
Diaspora in literature commonly deals with migration and displacement of subjects;
therefore, it is imperative to understand the definition of diaspora from several
theorists because it will enable a better grasp of its concepts such as hybridity, cultural
identity and identity.
According to Braziel and Mannur (2003), the word diaspora is “derived from
the Greek term, diasperien, from dia-, “across” and -sperien, “to sow or scatter seeds”
(3). They define diaspora as a term that “historically referred to displaced
communities of people who have been dislocated from their native homeland through
the movements of migration, immigration, or exile” (3). Furthermore, Braziel and
Mannur state that the term diaspora is:
first used in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew
Scriptures explicitly intended for the Hellenic Jewish communities in
Alexandria to describe the Jews living in exile from the homeland of
Palestine, diaspora suggests a dislocation from the nation-states,
territories, or countries. The term “diaspora” then had religious
significance and pervaded medieval rabbinical writings on the Jewish
diaspora, to describe the plight of Jews living outside of Palestine (4).
According to Braziel and Mannur, today, diaspora refers specifically “to the
movement – forced or voluntary – of people from one or more nation-states to
another” (2003: 9). They also add that diaspora has been increasingly used by:
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anthropologists, literary theorists, and cultural critics to describe the
mass migrations and displacements of the second half of the 20th
century, particularly in reference to independence movements in
formerly colonized areas, waves of refugees fleeing war-torn states, and
fluxes of economic migration in post-World War II era. The most
accepted definition of the term “diaspora” refers to communities of
people dislocated from their native homelands through migration,
immigration, or exile as a consequence of colonial expansion, the
experience of migration and the attendant anxieties and displacement,
homelessness, and a wish to return (11).
Additionally, according to Vertovec (1997):
diaspora is a term often applied to „describe practically any population
that is considered as “deterritorialized” or “transnational” – that is,
which has originated in a land other than which it currently resides in,
and whose social, economic, and political networks cross the borders of
nation-states or, indeed, span the globe. (277).
For Paul Gilroy (1994), diaspora is “defined not by authentic human
connectivity across geographical areas or political boundaries, but as being created by
and through differentiation” (89) whereas for Stuart Hall (1990), diaspora is “the
contradictory emotions, the ambivalences in the diasporic‟s notions of belonging and
their identification with and against territorial social and cultural formations,
especially as they are shaped through the processes of exclusion” (50).
Bill Ashcroft, Garreth Griffiths and Hellen Tiffin‟s Key Concepts in Postcolonial Studies (1998) thoroughly explains diaspora. According to them, “diaspora is
of importance to postcolonial studies because the descendants of these people have
come to produce highly unique cultures that both maintain and build on the
perceptions of their original cultures” (69). This discussion is applicable when
addressing the new lifestyles that subjects have to adapt to in order to survive in a new
environment. Furthermore, the argument connected with maintaining the old cultures
can also be discussed because usually, it is the first generation diasporic subjects who
would want to preserve the culture they are born into.
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