Browsing by Author "Dahmani Asma"

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    Diaspora and Cultural Identity in the Namesake (2003) by Jhumpa Lahiri, and Americanah (2013)by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: From Alientation to Assimilation.
    (Université Mouloud Mammeri Tizi ouzou, 2025-07-07) Dahmani Asma; Lazirou Tassadit
    This research paper investigates how diaspora and cultural identity are shaped by the ongoing tension between alienation and assimilation in The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri and Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Through the characters of the two novels, the study explores how migration, race, gender, and cultural expectation influence the construction of identity across diasporic experiences. In both novels, displacement generates emotional and psychological dislocation, revealing identity as a process of continual negotiation rather than fixed belonging. Drawing on Stuart Hall’s theory, diaspora is a shifting identity shaped by displacement, cultural hybridity, and the search for belonging. This analysis highlights key themes such as generational conflict, cultural retention, mental health, and gendered expectations. While Lahiri's characters confronts the burden of inherited Bengali traditions in the context of American life, Adichi's face the complexities of racial identity and cultural authenticity in the U.S. context. Together, these narratives illustrate how characters navigate assimilation’s pressures while resisting complete erasure. Ultimately, the research reveals that both alienation and assimilation, though often painful, become spaces for critical self-awareness and the reimagining of cultural identity in the diasporic context.