Post 9/11 Identity Crisis in H.M Naqvi's <em>Home Boy</em>

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Published May 26, 2012

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Asma Mansoor
International Islamic University, Islamabad

Abstract

Since 9/11, the paradigms defining identity underwent a major transition. People came to be termed as ‘terrorists’ on the basis of their religious and ethnic roots. The identity based issues faced by an average Pakistani on the streets of New York or any other American city were highlighted in many post 9/11 Pakistani English novels. The Pakistani writers of English fiction placed the varying notions of identity under the microscope of their penetrative insights. What this study proposes is that among Pakistanis living in the USA, an identity crisis has been generated in the 9/11 backdrop. With American imperialism surfacing, the individual self has become the negotiating ground for the subaltern to establish balance between ‘Otherness’ as being contoured by religion as an identity signifier. The major research objectives of this study are defining the notions of the ‘Self’ as exemplified by the protagonist of the novel Home Boy by H.M Naqvi in addition to defining the idea of a ‘terrorist’. This study will also investigate the perplexity that has been added to the concept of the ‘Self’ in the average pro-West Pakistani citizen and its reflection in post-9/11 Pakistani fiction in English. It will also scrutinize the search for a new parameter to define identity in terms of being a Pakistani and a Muslim by the protagonist of Home Boy. The research questions that this study undertakes are: What is meant by the notion of a fragmented identity in the context of Pakistani fiction in English? What alterations has the concept of the ‘Other’ undergone in the post-9/11 world and how has this affected the notion of the Self in post-9/11 Pakistani fiction in English? Are the protagonists in the post-9/11 Pakistani fiction in English moving from a hybrid identity to a unified identity? Is the Westernized protagonist of this novel aspiring towards a Muslim identity? The study is exploratory in purpose, following the holistic content-based mode of analysis.

Article Details

Issue
Vol 4 No 2 (2012): Summer Issue
Section
Refereed Articles (Humanities)
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Author Biography

Asma Mansoor, International Islamic University, Islamabad

Being an only child, I have always found delightful company in the parallel dimension called 'Books'. My most vivid memories include lying in the sun, holding on to a thick volume of Enid Blyton's stories which I had to finish in a day because of a bet I had with a friend about who reads faster. In addition to the delight of winning the bet, I also enjoyed living in Tara, walking on the grounds of Mansfield Park and accompanying Ibn-e-Insha to China. I have cried while David Copperfield suffered and was enthralled as shared Pitras Bukhari's bumpy ride on his friend's antediluvian bicycle. This was a passion that was nurtured by my schoolteachers at Beaconhouse Public School, Margallah Campus, where they also painstakingly honed my writing skills. It was this penchant for literature that impelled me to pursue a Masters degree in English Literature from the Punjab University, where I attained an overall second position in its annual examination. My love affair with the subject, however, did not end there as I proceeded to impart it to the students who were eager to explore the world of English Literature. For this reason, I chose teaching as a profession and am currently serving as a Lecturer in the Department of English at the Female Campus of the International Islamic University, Islamabad. Here, I am also the In-charge of the English Literary Society that encourages its member students to read and write as much as possible and to organize extra and co-curricular activities to bring out their latent talents. For me Literature has always been a mirror that reflects the diadem of life in all its prismatic hues.