Identity and Exile in Leila Aboulela’s Minaret (2005) and Kamila Shamsie’s Home Fire (2017)
Loading...
Date
2023
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Mouloud Mammeri University
Abstract
This research paper is a comparative study of Minaret (2005) and Home Fire (2017), by the
two Muslims authors who live in Britain, namely Leila Aboulela and Kamila Shamsie. Due to
the African and Asian origin of the two authors, their writings focus on the challenges faced
by expatriates, particularly Muslims in their new societies. The main purpose of this study is
to point out that the two narrators explore important issues such as exile and identity, they
also show the importance of identity in strengthening cultural ties and restoring a sense of
belonging in the life of an expatriate. Both novels examine the extent to which Western
societies influence certain individuals in exile, causing them to easily integrate into the
cultures of their new environment, in return for which they are stripped of their true identity.
Our research has relied on Julia Kristeva's Intertextuality introduced in Graham Allen's
Intertextuality (2000). First, we have established some affinities that appear between the
female protagonists: Najwa, Isma and Aneeka in the two selected novels, we have also
examined the similarities between the male characters: Omar, Parvaiz, Tamer and Eamonn.
We have concluded our formalist study by evaluating the connections between the two
parental characters: Zeinab and Karamat. Concerning our thematic approach, we have come
to assign identity and religion, in addition to family and Islamophobia as three central themes
within both novels. After analyzing the two narratives using Kristeva's Intertextuality, we
have reached the conclusion that identity and exile are two important issues expressed by the
experiences of different characters who are forced to confront the challenges and complexities
of living in a world where one's identity is constantly being questioned and challenged
Description
54p. ; 30cm(+CD-Rom)
Keywords
Exile, Identity, Intertextuality, Islamophobia, the Western World
Citation
Comparative Litterature