Longing for Belonging: A Diasporic Exploration of Identity and Displacement in Kamila Shamsie’s Salt and Saffron

Abstract

This study explores the diasporic identity struggles of Aliya, the protagonist in Kamila Shamsie’s Salt and Saffron (2000), through Homi K. Bhabha’s post-colonial concepts of hybridity, mimicry, and the “unhomely.” Using textual analysis, the research examines Aliya’s navigation of dual cultural identities as a Pakistani migrant in the US, where her Western upbringing clashes with her inherited heritage, fostering psychological dislocation and fragmented selfhood. Bhabha’s “Third Space” theory frames her liminal existence, caught between assimilation and nostalgia, as she negotiates to belong in neither fully Pakistani nor American contexts. The novel highlights Aliya’s emotional ties to Karachi, reflecting diasporic longing for cultural authenticity amid Western pressures. Her hybrid identity manifests in linguistic blending (Urdu-English diction) and intergenerational trauma from partition, symbolized by her family’s unresolved displacement. Contrasting first-generation diaspora figures like Mehr Dadi—who endured overt marginalization in England—with Aliya’s subtler second-generation identity crisis, the study reveals evolving diasporic challenges. Despite attempts to adapt, Aliya’s eventual return to Pakistan underscores the futility of integration in host cultures that perpetuate “otherness,” emphasizing homeland reclamation as a response to alienation. Shamsie critiques globalization’s erasure of cultural specificity while validating hybridity as a survival strategy. The analysis contributes to post-colonial discourse by illustrating identity as a dynamic negotiation of memory, place, and duality. Ultimately, Salt and Saffron captures the resilience of diasporic communities in preserving heritage, affirming that belonging remains an ongoing, contested process shaped by historical and cultural legacies.