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The IUP Journal of English Studies

Conflict Between Native and the Diasporic Culture in Manju Kapur's The Immigrant

Article Details

Pub. Date	: June, 2022
Product Name	: The IUP Journal of English Studies
Product Type	: Article
Product Code	: IJES030622
Author Name	:Nidhi Sharma
Availability	: YES
Subject/Domain	: Arts & Humanities
Download Format	: PDF Format
No. of Pages	: 10

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Abstract

The paper attempts to unravel Manju Kapur's The Immigrant that relentlessly branches out relatable episodes by putting forth a transparent portrayal of diasporic dislocation of identity and culture. The paper explores the cultural association of oneself with one's own habitat by peeling off layers after layers of the feelings of loneliness and being uprooted from one's own cultural milieu. The usage of the adjective "diasporic"in the title of the paper embodies an "immigrant"who migrates to other countries in search of better opportunities, eventually submitting oneself to the language, culture and social traditions of the host country.

To live in the alien land, to suffer, tolerate discriminations, the hatred of those eyes; this is the definition of homelessness.
Sankaran, 131

Introduction

Manju Kapur, affirmatively, the most celebrated and prominent contemporary novelist of Indian English Literature, deals with various themes such as feminism, diaspora, social and economic forces, gender relationships, and lesbianism. The Immigrant (2008) was shortlisted for the India Plaza Golden Quill Award and the DSC Prize of South Asian Literature in 2010. The word 'Diaspora' originated from the Greek word, 'Diaspora' meaning, 'a dispersion'. Diaspora may be defined as dispersion of people, language or culture that was formerly concentrated in one place. Diasporic people carry with them a profound sense of attachment with their former place of residence. In the words of Bill Ashcroft, diaspora can essentially be defined as: "... the voluntary or forcible movement of peoples from their homelands into new regions, is a central historical fact of colonization"(69). Migration of the people from one country to another becomes a common spectacle in transportation but hard to adjust in alien culture which happens to be far from one's own homeland. Home and identity encapsulate being the two pivotal factors for any