Diaspora and its Challenges in Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss

Abstract

Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss (2006) offers a profound exploration of diasporic experiences, examining identity, displacement, and cultural hybridity within postcolonial contexts. This study analyzes the psychological, social, and cultural struggles of characters such as Judge Jemubhai Patel, Biju, and Sai, highlighting how migration, historical legacies, and globalization shape individual and collective identities. Utilizing Homi K. Bhabha’s postcolonial framework, particularly his notions of hybridity and the “third space,” the research demonstrates how diasporic subjects negotiate between native and host cultures, confront alienation, and reconstruct their identities. Findings reveal the emotional and existential costs of diaspora, the psychological impacts of colonialism, and the complex processes of cultural negotiation and self-realization. The study contributes to postcolonial literary criticism by emphasizing literature’s capacity to reflect and interrogate the multifaceted realities of migration and displacement.