Negotiating Diasporic Identity: Travel, Exile, and Belonging in Salman Rushdie's Writings

Abstract This research paper investigates the profound intersections of travel, banishment, and memory within the literary universe of Salman Rushdie. Traditional definitions of national identity fail to capture the fluid realities of modern displaced populations. By deploying a qualitative text-based analysis of major novels including Midnight’s Children, The Satanic Verses, and The Moor's Last Sigh, this study explores how geographic dislocation acts as a psychological catalyst for self-redefinition. Grounded in postcolonial frameworks established by theorists like Homi Bhabha, Edward Said, and Stuart Hall, the investigation tracks the evolution from the initial trauma of uprooting toward adaptive global citizenship. The findings reveal that Rushdie reconfigures forced exile from a permanent loss into a dynamic source of creative productivity. The constructed "imaginary homeland" serves as a crucial mental anchor, helping migrants survive cultural friction in foreign landscapes. Ultimately, the research demonstrates that hybridity operates not as a weakness, but as a resilient form of resistance against monolithic nationalisms. These insights offer valuable perspectives on contemporary transnational migration, illustrating how flexible, multifaceted identities empower individuals to thrive in an interconnected world.