Negotiating Identity and Belonging: A Study of Second-Generation South Asian Immigrant Experience in Derek Mascarenhas’ Coconut Dreams
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Details
Meher Afroz Fiha
MA graduate in English, University of Guelph
Recipient, CIRCLE Masters Research Fund
Wednesday 17 September l 10:00-11:00am (ET)
The South Asian immigrant experience in Canada is often marked by isolation, alienation, and identity crisis. Immigrants and their descendants face the challenge of navigating two distinct cultural spheres, shaping their sense of self. First-generation immigrants negotiate between homeland traditions and new societal norms, while second-generation individuals grapple with an inherited cultural identity that may conflict with their lived experiences in Canada. These dual identities are complicated by racialization, as South Asians are often categorized as the ‘other,’ reinforcing marginalization and cultural displacement. Drawing on Homi K. Bhabha’s “Third Space of Enunciation,” this paper examines how Derek Mascarenhas’ Coconut Dreams (2019) portrays the second-generation South Asian immigrant experience in Canada as a liminal zone where meaning and representation are constantly negotiated (Bhabha 211). By analyzing how second-generation immigrants navigate cultural duality, this webinar highlights identity formation, bicultural challenges, and the potential for negotiation within this liminal space.
Moderator
TBA
Organized by
Canada India Research Centre for Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)