Abstract

Since 9/11, along with the rise and the collapse of Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), identity proposition and the meaning of home toward global Muslim societies have become prominent issue among scholars. The complexities of these issues are represented in political and cultural realm as well as literary works of people from South Asian descent. Drawing upon Hall’s theory of identity (1990), Brah’s “Homing Desire” (1996), and Bhabha’s “Unhomely” (1992, 1994), this close-textual analysis investigates how Pakistani Muslim diasporic communities construct their identities and the meaning of home within two novels: “Home Fire” and “Exit West.” The discussions in this article show that both novels represent heterogeneity within home and identity construction of the Muslim diaspora. Through these representations, both novels problematize the notion of radicalism, blur the East/West binary, underscore knowledge on multifariousness within Islamic world, and offer inclusive transcultural contact zone as the concept of nation.