https://doi.org/10.67147/literariness.v1i2.085
The Portable Homeland: The Space in Between Belonging and Becoming
AARUSHI DATTA
Undergraduate Student
St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata
Abstract: This paper re-evaluates the notion of “home” not as a geographical vantage point but as a fluid concept negotiated through the tension between a migrant’s long-term residence, the home they once knew, and the systematic exclusion they encounter in the “host” country. Migrants today assume the status of the “permanent guest” within the socio-political fabric. The paper explores how they navigate the “third space,” a concept of hybridity proposed by Homi Bhabha, a psychological realm of tension between the dualities of their realities, and whether adaptability as cultural hybridity is a proactive choice or a survivalist necessity.
Central to the study are material anchors and sensory architecture. Through the lens of sensory ethnography, the paper examines how material belongings, ranging from a mere smartphone to the ancestral weight of heirloom jewellery, serve as vital tethers to the notion of a fractured identity. These act as anchors to the life they knew, the life they could have had, the void of exile, and the momentum of bridging the gap between the lost past and the uncertain future.
The research also delves into how domestic tasks such as cooking, storytelling, and clothing not only bind migrant families together but also help replicate the memory of home and, moreover, act as migrants’ attempts to regain agency when the world seems foreign. By weaving their past into their day-to-day activities, they trespass physical boundaries and seek comfort in their history within the sanction of their home, which remains a breathing reality.
Finally, the paper engages with the deep psychological implications of “bifocal existence.” The study contributes to an understanding of the liminal space between belonging and becoming as both a site of profound psychological toll and radical resilience.
Keywords: the third space, migrant agency, bifocal agency, sensory architecture, fragmented identity
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