Space and Identity: Bharati Mukherjee's Immigrant Writing
Abstract
Indian American writer Bharati Mukherjee is a prominent figure in immigrant writing. Her works offer penetrating explorations of female agency, the vicissitudes of immigrant existence, cross-cultural tensions, interethnic relations, and postcolonial dynamics. In light of Mukherjee's immigration experiences at different stages of her life, the topographical space, discourse space and humanistic space intertwine in her novels, which reflects the dynamics of identity positioning, recognition and deconstruction for exiles, expatriates and immigrants. Her narrative practice demonstrates a layered intellectual complexity, encompassing both the expansive geographical and psychological journeys of her characters and the subtle transformations of their lived experiences. The theoretical framework of the "Third Space," by dismantling binary oppositions, creates a conceptual locus that accommodates contradiction, heterogeneity, and otherness, which is highly illuminating for revealing the matrix of ethnic American literature. Through the aesthetic interpretation of the space theory, this article aims to provide reference for the identity exploration of the marginalized, contributing to broader discussions of displacement, belonging, and transcultural poetics.
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