Future Had to be Sought Elsewhere: A Diasporic Study of Abdulrazak Gurnah's Memory of Departure

Safoura Sahafi ¹ ( )
Vida Rahiminezhad ² ( )
Ahmad Sedighi ³ ( )

Submited date : 2025-03-12 Accepted date : 2025-04-12

Keywords: Diaspora, Identity, Otherness, Displacement, Memory of Departure,

Abstract :

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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