Future Had to be Sought Elsewhere: A Diasporic Study of Abdulrazak Gurnah's Memory of Departure
Safoura Sahafi
1
(
English Department, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
)
Vida Rahiminezhad
2
(
English Department, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
)
Ahmad Sedighi
3
(
English Department, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
)
الکلمات المفتاحية: Diaspora, Identity, Otherness, Displacement, Memory of Departure,
ملخص المقالة :
this
study examines the interplay of identity, otherness, and displacement in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Memory of Departure (1987) through the lens of William Safran’s diaspora theory. Employing a qualitative, library-based methodology, the analysis traces protagonist Hassan Omar’s transformation amid racial discrimination, alienation, and socio-political upheaval in post-colonial East Africa. Findings reveal how systemic oppression, economic hardship, and colonial legacies fracture Hassan’s identity, compelling his displacement. The novel underscores diaspora as a condition of persistent otherness, where hybrid identities emerge from the tension between homeland memory and host society alienation. By situating Hassan’s journey within broader post-colonial dynamics, the study highlights literature’s role in articulating resistance and cultural resilience.The concept of diaspora has been a subject of scholarly interest for decades, evolving from its initial association with the dispersion of specific ethnic groups to a broader understanding encompassing various forms of migration and identity formation. . Quayson and Daswani (2013) argue that diaspora has "arguably existed
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