As a “delinked” alternative to un/markedness, cultural rhetorics scholars offer writing methodologies that draw from the epistemic salience of identity and language, situated always in relation to land.īefore moving into a discussion of cultural rhetorics methodologies though, I want to try to understand Lahiri’s resistance to identity-, language- and place-“bound” writing. Cultural rhetorics scholarship helps us unpack the problematic politics of place, language, and identity in Whereabouts and understand the political limits of Lahiri’s “linguistic migration,” un/markedness, and disconnect between narrator and environment. By putting Lahiri’s work into conversation with cultural rhetorics methodologies in this piece, I do not aim to critique her in a vacuum but instead understand the systems of power that shape her move from unmistakably desi characters and themes towards unmarked, nameless, place-less characters. Whereabouts and Lahiri’s decisive break from “Asian/American” or “South Asian-American” categorization are fruitful sites for cultural rhetorics inquiry given rhetoric scholars’ concern with “the rhetorical work of people of Asian descent within systems of power” (Monberg and Young). Given this focus in her prior work, what are the implications of Lahiri’s move in Whereabouts to create a character “unmarked” by racial or cultural signifiers? How do systems of power shape the privilege of “unmarkedness”? What are the politics of what Lahiri calls her “linguistic migration” from English to Italian and her shift in content from Indian diasporic experience to a cosmopolitan writing life? And she offers beautiful renderings of fraught human relationships, particularly within multigenerational desi families. Her writing resonates deeply with the sense of dislocation and pressure to assimilate that those of us raised in desi middle-class suburbs (and those, like me, from mixed desi/ white families) have felt. suburbs, her work also touches on immigration politics, gender dynamics, internalized racism, second-generation tensions, and political histories like the Naxalite movement. While her short stories and novels primarily focus on the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of middle-class desis living between West Bengal, India, and northeastern U.S. I was initially drawn to Lahiri’s writing because of its consistent engagement with Indian diasporic life. Aesthetically, Whereabouts makes you see differently.Īnd yet, politically, the novel troubled me. She puts words to the psychic space that writers inhabit with zero romanticization. As I read it, I began to notice small things again, details around me that had faded into the background of daily routine. Her rendering of the solitude of the creative process will be familiar to writers: the interior world, the sense that those around you cannot ever fully understand you unless they engage with your writing, and that, even then, they will never fully understand your experience. There is a familiar, gentle rhythm to Lahiri’s writing that is not sanitized but characteristically smooth and precise. Having followed Lahiri’s work closely since The Namesake was published, I was excited about her new novel and read it slowly, savoring its chapters. Contributions for the charitable purposes of The Rumpus must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Rumpus is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. And join us by becoming a monthly or yearly Member.Įach of these subscription programs along with tax-deductible donations made to The Rumpus through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas, helps keep u s going and brings us closer to sustainability. Subscribe to the Rumpus Book Clubs (poetry, prose, or both) and Letters in the Mail from authors. We believe that literature builds community-and if reading The Rumpus makes you feel more connected, please show your support! Get your Rumpus merch in our online store. We lift up new voices alongside those of more established writers readers already know and love. Our mostly volunteer-run magazine strives to be a platform for risk-taking voices and writing that might not find a home elsewhere. Founded in 2009, The Rumpus is one of the longest running independent online literary and culture magazines.
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