Abstract :

This essay makes the case for comparative analysis of Arab and South Asian female memoirs, focusing on some of the historical, ideological, cultural and political traditions that are usually considered in isolation. Through a detailed analysis to Ghada Karmi's In Search of Fatima and Yasmin Hai's The Making of Mr Hai's Daughter, the study moves beyond national and cultural borders to highlight some of the shared political and aesthetic concerns of Arab and South Asian writers. South Asia and the Middle East are marked by very different experiences of colonialism. Thus, in order to highlight the logic that underpins the comparative analysis of Arab and South Asian literatures, the article will focus on some of the shared thematic preoccupations concerning Arab and South Asian diaspora, displacement and exile writings. The study will deploy comparable literary tropes through addressing similar issues in these memoirs. Further, drawing upon Homi Bhabha’s influential ideas about colonial ambivalence, hybridity and "Third place", the paper will offer an account on some of the problems that are suffered by any colonised person who lives in a colonial society for long time through a special focus on the authors' personal lives.