Exile and the struggle for identity in H. Matar’s the return and e. said’s out of place

Abstract

This thesis offers a study of the identity issues that displaced people face while in exile, and of how literary works help in illustrating such struggles. To provide practical examples of exilic struggle and identity challenges, the study centers on two memoirs, Hisham Matar’s The Return and Edward Said’s Out of Place. With the increased hostility in the political and economic context internationally, the number of people living in exile is likely to be on the increase in the next few decades around the world. This study underlines the role of literary works in describing and exposing different types of social injustices and identity issues in relation to the violation of the human rights generally faced by people living in exile. The analysis centers on Matar's and Said's memoirs to delve into several literary and cultural elements, such as multilingualism, space and place, and multiculturalism, that the authors use to explore identity issues of people in exile.