Negotiating Diaspora, Memory, and Displacement in Madhuri Vijay’s The Far Field

Abstract

Diaspora literature often raises questions of belonging, identity, memory, and displacement across geographical and cultural boundaries. Madhuri Vijay’s novel The Far Field offers a subtle yet powerful exploration of these themes through the personal journey of its protagonist, Shalini. Set against the politically sensitive backdrop of Kashmir, the novel connects individual memory with collective trauma, showing how diaspora is not limited to physical migration alone but also includes emotional and psychological displacement. This paper examines The Far Field from a social science perspective, focusing on diaspora as a lived experience shaped by history, violence, gender, and power relations. The study argues that Vijay presents diaspora as a layered condition where characters experience alienation both within and outside the nation. Shalini’s movement from Bangalore to Kashmir symbolizes an inward journey that confronts suppressed memories, ethical responsibility, and social realities ignored by urban privilege. Using qualitative textual analysis, the paper studies how themes of displacement, marginalization, and broken identity are represented in the novel. The findings reveal that The Far Field challenges conventional ideas of homeland and belonging by portraying Kashmir as a contested space where voices are silenced and identities are constantly negotiated. The novel also highlights the role of women in diaspora narratives, showing how gender influences perception, vulnerability, and resistance. By blending personal narrative with political history, Vijay creates a socially relevant text that bridges literature and social science. This paper concludes that The Far Field contributes significantly to contemporary diaspora studies by redefining displacement as both a personal and collective condition rooted in unequal social structures.