WOMEN, DIASPORA AND CULTURAL IDENTITY IN THE FICTION OF JHUMPA LAHIRI

Abstract

Jhumpa Lahiris fiction provides a nuanced representation of womens experiences within the Indian diaspora and examines the complex relationship between migration, gender, culture, family, and identity. Her female characters frequently inhabit a space between the cultural traditions inherited from their Indian backgrounds and the social values of the Western societies in which they live. This cultural in-betweenness influences their understanding of marriage, motherhood, family responsibilities, personal freedom, language, and belonging. The present study examines the representation of women, diaspora, and cultural identity in selected works of Jhumpa Lahiri, particularly Interpreter of Maladies, The Namesake, Unaccustomed Earth, and The Lowland. The study argues that Lahiri portrays diasporic women not merely as passive victims of cultural displacement but as individuals who negotiate, resist, adapt to, and sometimes redefine cultural expectations. Her female characters reveal the emotional and psychological consequences of migration while also demonstrating agency in constructing their identities. The paper further explores how generational differences affect womens experiences of cultural identity and how family, memory, language, marriage, and motherhood become important sites of cultural negotiation. Lahiris fiction ultimately demonstrates that diasporic female identity is fluid, hybrid, and continuously shaped by the interaction between homeland traditions and hostland experiences.