Multiculturalism in Contemporary British South Asian Fiction: Home, Belonging, and Cultural Negotiation

by Anas Galet M. Alhaisony

Overview

This book explores the multifaceted themes of home, belonging, and multiculturalism in contemporary British South Asian fiction. Through detailed literary analysis of novels by authors such as Nadeem Aslam, Gautam Malkani, and Kamila Shamsie, this work delves into how these narratives reflect and interrogate the complex interplay of race, class, and identity in the context of modern Britain. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from cultural studies and postcolonial theory, the project examines the role of literature in shaping public perceptions of multicultural identities and provides new insights into how British South Asian literature responds to and reshapes contemporary socio-political events like Brexit and the 2011 England riots. This study aims to offer a critical re-evaluation of the concept of multiculturalism, moving beyond traditional discussions of diaspora and hybridity to explore more nuanced interpretations of cultural integration and identity formation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783032023728
Publisher:	Springer Nature Switzerland
Publication date:	10/02/2025
Pages:	270
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Anas Alhaisony serves as an Assistant Professor of English Literature at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. He earned his MA in English Literature from the University of Nottingham in 2017 and a PhD from the University of Exeter in 2023. His academic focus is on modern and contemporary literature, with a particular interest in narratives of multiculturalism, identity, and migration.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction to British South Asian Identities and Multiculturalism.- Chapter 2: Bridges to Belonging: Exploring Assimilation and identity in Nadeem Aslam's Maps for Lost Lovers.- Chapter 3: Between Limbo and Reality: Precarious Space and the Precariat in Sunjeev Sahota's The Year of The Runaways.- Chapter 4: The Crisis of Trust and Multicultural Surveillance in Kamila Shamsie’s Home Fire.- Chapter 5: Counterterrorism and Suspicion: Trust in Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West.- Chapter 6: Neoliberal Multiculturalism and Identity in Contemporary Narratives.- Chapter 7: Conclusion- Synthesis and Future Directions: Re-evaluating Multiculturalism in British South Asian Literature.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Anas Alhaisony’s Multiculturalism in Contemporary British South Asian Fiction is an impressive, wide-ranging discussion of the trajectories of British multiculturalism and their fictional representation in the twenty-first century. Through revelatory close analyses of key writers of the South Asian diaspora in Britain – including Nadeem Aslam, Guy Gunaratne, Mohsin Hamid, Gautam Malkani, Sunjeev Sahota, and Kamila Shamsie – Alhaisony maps the complexities around identity formation, assimilation discourse, the contemporary status of multiculturalism, contingencies of citizenship and closing borders so pressingly debated in contemporary politics. This is a timely and necessary book making a key intervention into the fields of literary and diaspora studies.” (Florian Stadler, Senior Lecturer in Literature and Migration, University of Bristol)

“Through selected novels by British South Asian writers, Anas Alhaisony’s Multiculturalism in Contemporary British South Asian Fiction brings Britain’s story of multiculturalism up to date. Alhaisony contextualises the idea of multiculturalism and its limits within ‘post-9/11’ debates on heightened Islamophobia, Brexit, citizenship and identity formation, and former Prime Minister David Cameron’s claim that Britain’s multicultural project has failed. Alhaisony offers granular and perceptive close readings of novels by writers including Nadeem Aslam, Guy Gunaratne, Mohsin Hamid, Gautam Malkani, Sunjeev Sahota, and Kamila Shamsie, informed by a deftly handled treatment of theories of multiculturalism, diaspora, Islamophobia and race. Anyone interested in how contemporary British fiction has helped to probe and shape these debates will find this book illuminating.” (Jane Poyner, Associate Professor of English, University of Exeter)