IN-BETWEEN SELVES AND HAUNTED PATHS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SOUTH ASIAN DIASPORIC HEROINES IN CONTEMPORARY MIGRANT LITERATURE

Abstract

This research presents a comparative study of South Asian diasporic heroines through the lens of liminality and uncanniness in "The Seasons of Flight" by Manjushree Thapa and "Oleander Girl" byChitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Centering on the protagonists Prema and Korobi, the study employs Victor Turner's theory of liminality (1969) and Sigmund Freud's concept of the uncanny (1919) to explore the psychological and cultural thresholds the heroines navigate in their diasporic journeys. Both characters are examined as liminal figures caught between geographical, emotional, and existential borders, confronting dislocation, identity fragmentation, and the eerie familiarity of the foreign. Through a comparative analysis, this paper investigates how their transitions into unfamiliar sociocultural environments evoke uncanny experiences that challenge and reshape their sense of self. By tracing these overlapping yet distinct trajectories, the study reveals how the interplay of liminality and uncanniness shapes the diasporic female subjectivity in contemporary South Asian fiction. Moreover, the technique of textual analysis and close reading is used for collecting and processing data.