Ambivalent identities and liminal spaces: reconfiguration of national and diasporic identity in Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper will conduct a reconfiguration of nation as a more inclusive space which includes ambivalent migrants, who are also global citizens. Thus, nation comprises subjects who are more or less than just the ideal national citizens. It will explain the liminal spaces that these migrants occupy in between the nation and the global world. The objective of this study is to define nation beyond the geographical boundaries and in terms of the transnational and diasporic identities. The narration of nation is integrated with the ambivalent modernity, cultural transformation, migration patterns, post-9/11 resurgence of American nationalism and its impact on Pakistani diaspora living in America. In The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Hamid conceives the shift in modern life, but expands his range and focus to the shifting national identities vis-à-vis the global citizenships. When framed through nation, and diaspora, these shifting identities reflect the shifting postcolonial scene.