ONTOLOGICAL DISPLACEMENT AND THE QUEST FOR BELONGING IN KAMILA SHAMSIE’S BURNT SHADOWS

Abstract

This article explores the themes of being and belongingness by applying the lens of the ontological struggles on Kamila Shamsie’s novel Burnt Shadows. Spanning across significant historical and geographical terrains—from Nagasaki to Delhi, Karachi, New York, and Afghanistan. The narrative reveals how individuals grapple with identity, displacement, and a constant quest for rootedness. Drawing upon philosophical notions of ontology, this article examines the protagonist Hiroko Tanaka’s journey as a central metaphor for existential dislocation and the human longing to belong. The study also investigates how language, cultural hybridity, inherited trauma, and historical violence shape identity and selfhood. The novel, Burnt Shadows follow the cross-culture lives of her characters as they navigate historical catastrophes, from the 1945 atomic explosion of Nagasaki to post-9/11 worldwide politics. The novel raises profound questions about how identities are constructed, transformed, and shattered under the context of historical traumas and geopolitical circumstances. Furthermore, this study investigates the concept of self-identity in the face of nationalism, displacement, war, homelessness, identity crisis and political conflicts. This ontological analysis of Burnt Shadows provides an extensive understanding of how identity is shaped, redefined, and challenged through traumatic historical experiences. It highlights Shamsie’s contribution to the knowledge of self-identity as a complicated dynamic concept that is significantly impacted by historical and cultural experiences.