IDENTITY FORMATION THROUGH CULTURAL DISPLACEMENT: A STUDY OF SELECTED DIASPORIC WRITERS

Abstract

Diasporic literature has emerged as a significant field of study in contemporary literary criticism, addressing issues of migration, displacement, identity, memory, and belonging. The experience of cultural displacement often compels individuals to negotiate between multiple cultural worlds, leading to the formation of hybrid and fluid identities. This paper examines the process of identity formation through cultural displacement in the works of selected diasporic writers, particularly Jhumpa Lahiri, Bharati Mukherjee, and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Drawing upon the theoretical frameworks of Stuart Hall and Homi K. Bhabha, the study argues that diasporic identity is not fixed but constantly reconstructed through interactions with diverse cultural environments. The paper explores themes of nostalgia, alienation, hybridity, and cultural negotiation to demonstrate how displacement becomes a catalyst for the creation of new identities.