The course “The Fiction of Indian Diaspora” primarily deals with Diaspora, Indian diasporic fictions and the theorisation of Diaspora. It provides an in-depth exploration of the concept of Diaspora, tracing its origins from the Greek term diaspeirein (“to scatter”) to its contemporary formations and meaning along with highlighting the complex theoretical articulations in literary and cultural studies. The objective of this course is to explore the intricacies and complexities of Diaspora and its ancient and contemporary manifestations in literary texts, particularly within the context of Indian Diaspora. Second, to examine how diasporic writers such as V. S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie, Bharati Mukherjee, Anita Desai, Chitra Banerjee, Meena Alexander, Jhumpa Lahiri and several others have represented the diasporic consciousness in their literary works; and third, to provide the theoretical aspects of Indian Diaspora. The course engages with critical definitions and frameworks related to Diaspora offered by major postcolonial and Diaspora thinkers including Edward Said, Homi K. Bhabha, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, William Safran, Avtar Brah, Vijay Mishra, Sudesh Mishra and others. These critics and their key concepts have been employed in the discussion of this course to examine diasporic identity, cultural dislocation, and transnational belonging. While critically discussing the seminal and contemporary literary narratives related to diaspora, from V.S. Naipaul’s explorations of rootlessness to modern narratives of migration and exile, this course highlights the recurring themes in Diaspora Studies, such as displacement, memory, nostalgia, identity crisis, and cultural negotiation etc. The course also investigates the narrative strategies of diasporic authors to represent fractured identities, hybrid cultures, and the emotional geographies of migration.

NOC: The Fiction of Indian Diaspora, IIT Roorkee