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A Literary Anthropology of Migration and Belonging pp 157–180Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

From Bengal to Scotland: Hybridity, Borders and National Narratives

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Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Literary Anthropology ((PSLA))

Abstract

Focusing on the transnational poet Bashabi Fraser, this chapter appraises a migrant’s exploration of her self-identity as a “new Scot” with roots in India. Nic Craith explores how poetry collections such as The Homing Bird (Fraser 2017) or Tartan and Turban (2004) creatively span the world the poet has left and the country in which she now lives. The analysis queries how Fraser’s “poetic voice” represents the evolving relationship between Scotland and Bengal and the value of such poetry as “raw data” for anthropologists working on migration issues. Narratives of hybridity, displacement and belonging in Fraser’s poetry collections are explored from the theoretical perspective of postcolonialism. The contribution draws on Fraser’s academic work on Scottish Orientalism and examines the impact of her poetry on Scotland’s evolving national narratives.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Intercultural Research Centre, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland

    Máiréad Nic Craith

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  1. Máiréad Nic Craith
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Correspondence to Máiréad Nic Craith .

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  1. Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway

    Cicilie Fagerlid

  2. National Library of Norway, Oslo, Norway

    Michelle A. Tisdel

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Nic Craith, M. (2020). From Bengal to Scotland: Hybridity, Borders and National Narratives. In: Fagerlid, C., Tisdel, M. (eds) A Literary Anthropology of Migration and Belonging. Palgrave Studies in Literary Anthropology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34796-3_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34796-3_7

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-34795-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-34796-3

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