Diasporic Consciousness: A Conceptual Framework in The Namesake and Jasmine

Abstract

Diaspora studies is one of the most ancient and also newest form of studies. It is also the central term in postcolonial literary studies, especially in understanding the work of south Asian writers . In postcolonial literature, the shift in "diaspora" from a narrowly religious category to an expansive sociocultural paradigm is particularly relevant. Mukherjee’s fiction—most significantly Jasmine—demonstrates a more radical, transformatory vision of diaspora. Her protagonists are in transit, escaping repressive pasts and finding new beginnings in unfamiliar cultural landscapes. The protagonist Jasmine assumes multiple personas as she crosses continents and states, reflecting the transformatory transformation of diaspora from fixed to fluid, performative existence. Lahiri's prose, on the other hand, in The Namesake, addresses the quieter, more reflective aftermath of displacement. Her protagonists grapple with inherited traditions, intergenerational conflict, and a strong need for cultural anchorages.