This book presents a systematic approach to the literary analysis of cultural practices. Based on a postcolonial framework of diaspora, the book utilizes literary theory to investigate cultural phenomena such as food preparation and song. Razia Parveen explores various diverse themes, including the female voice, genealogy, space, time, and diaspora, and applies them to the analysis of community identity. This volume also demonstrates how a literary analysis of oral texts helps to provide insight into women's lived narratives. For example, Parveen discusses how the notion of the 'third space' creates a distinctly feminine spatiality.

Links food preparation and song to how identity is generated through repetitive cultural practices Demonstrates the fruitfulness of an interdisciplinary approach to engaging with discourses of South Asian identity Explores the unique realities of life for South Asian women living in Northern England

Autorentext
Razia Parveen is an independent researcher affiliated with the University of Huddersfield, UK. Her interests include creative writing, diaspora studies, migration studies, and continental philosophy.

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- 2. Methodology.- 3. Mapping the Matrilineal.- 4. The Dynamics of Nostalgia in the Construction of Diasporic Identity.- 5. Space, Time, and Female Empowerment in Diaspora.- 6. Conclusion.