Contested Narratives: The Poetics of Home in Susan Muaddi Darraj’s The Inheritance of Exile and Angela Tehaan Leon’s Swimming Toward the Light

Abstract

Home and its meanings and significance have received extensive examination within the disciplines of anthropology, psychology, sociology, philosophy, human geography, and history. Home, which contains various references to houses, countries, and states, can no longer be considered a homogenized experience for migrants, as it takes shapes as a result of interaction between the past and present, the local and global, and the diaspora and country of origin. Drawing on diaspora studies and its theorizations of home, this article examines the heterogeneous and pluralistic negotiations of home in Susan Muaddi Darraj’s The Inheritance of Exile and Angela Tehaan Leon’s Swimming Toward the Light, and argues that the conventional understanding of home as a fixed location tied solely to one’s country of origin is challenged. The first generation of Arab migrant women, as depicted in the novels, finds a sense of belonging in the familiar spaces and customs of their native countries, hence viewing them as their true home. In contrast, the second generation views home in a more multifaceted way. They see it not only as a physical space but also as a source of spiritual comfort. The analysis confirms that home can no longer be said to apply simply to a geographic place, site, or even to a certain culture or set of practices as it is interpreted differently and incarnated in multitudinous forms. The diversified meanings of home render it pliable and confirm its controversial and debatable nature, especially for subjects in transit.