Beyond Borders: Reimagining Identity and Belonging in Contemporary Migration Fiction

Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on Advanced Research in Social Sciences

Year: 2026

[PDF]

Beyond Borders: Reimagining Identity and Belonging in Contemporary Migration Fiction

Dr. Divya Prabha Pazhani

ABSTRACT:

The twenty-first century has witnessed unprecedented forms of migration shaped by globalization, technological advancement, and transnational mobility. While migration studies have traditionally examined borders as geographical and political entities, Contemporary English fiction increasingly reconfigures borders as psychological, cultural, linguistic, and digital formations that shape experiences of identity and belonging. This paper analyzes how contemporary migration narratives reconfigure the concept of borders, shifting the focus from territorial crossings to the lived experiences of identity formation, belonging, and displacement in an interconnected world. The study addresses a significant research gap by examining how literary texts move beyond territorial borders to foreground memory, language, culture, and virtual connectivity.”
Drawing upon Diaspora theory, postcolonial scholarship, cultural studies, and theories of digital transnationalism, the paper investigates the evolving experiences of migrant subjects who negotiate multiple identities across national and digital landscapes. Particular attention is given to the emergence of digital diasporas, where online platforms facilitate new modes of community formation, cultural preservation, and transnational engagement. Through qualitative textual analysis, comparative literary interpretation, and thematic discourse analysis, the study examines how contemporary fiction portrays the tensions between mobility and rootedness, exile and belonging, fragmentation and self-reconstruction. The paper contends that contemporary migration fiction challenges conventional understandings of displacement by revealing borders as fluid and multidimensional sites of negotiation. By integrating literary criticism with sociological and cultural perspectives, the study contributes to emerging debates on migration, globalization, and digital culture, demonstrating how literature provides critical insights into the changing nature of identity and belonging in the twenty-first century.

Keywords: Cultural Hybridity; Digital Diasporas; Displacement; Self-reconstruction; Transnationalism