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Contested Spaces and Fragmented Memories: Reconstructing the Idea of Home in Contemporary Indian Travel Literature
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: Travel Writing
Abstract
This paper explores how contemporary Indian travel literature reimagines the concept of “home” through the lenses of contested spaces and fragmented memories. In an era shaped by migration, globalization, and postcolonial legacies, home is no longer a fixed geographical entity but a fluid and evolving construct. Travel narratives capture this transformation by depicting spaces marked by political conflict, cultural negotiation, and historical displacement. The study argues that memory plays a crucial role in reconstructing home, while contested spaces challenge its stability and coherence. Through a thematic analysis of contemporary Indian travel writing, the paper highlights how the idea of home is continuously negotiated, reshaped, and redefined.
Keywords
Home, memory, travel writing, contested spaces, identity, Indian literature
References
[1] Bhabha, Homi K. The Location of Culture. Routledge, 1994.
[2] Said, Edward W. Orientalism. Penguin Books, 2003.
[3] Clifford, James. Routes: Travel and Translation in the Late Twentieth Century. Harvard UP, 1997.
[4] Augé, Marc. Non-Places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity. Verso, 1995.
[5] Thompson, Carl. Travel Writing. Routledge, 2011.
How to cite this paper
@article{1723510,
author = {Kritika Singh},
title = {Contested Spaces and Fragmented Memories: Reconstructing the Idea of Home in Contemporary Indian Travel Literature},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {3},
pages = {3497-3501},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1723510.pdf},
abstract = {This paper explores how contemporary Indian travel literature reimagines the concept of “home” through the lenses of contested spaces and fragmented memories. In an era shaped by migration, globalization, and postcolonial legacies, home is no longer a fixed geographical entity but a fluid and evolving construct. Travel narratives capture this transformation by depicting spaces marked by political conflict, cultural negotiation, and historical displacement. The study argues that memory plays a crucial role in reconstructing home, while contested spaces challenge its stability and coherence. Through a thematic analysis of contemporary Indian travel writing, the paper highlights how the idea of home is continuously negotiated, reshaped, and redefined.},
keywords = {Home, memory, travel writing, contested spaces, identity, Indian literature},
month = {September},
}