Paper short abstract:

This paper addresses the relationship between transnational adoptees’ return journeys and the diasporic return. How do literary representations of adoptee return challenge/support understandings of other diasporic returns, and how does the return journey influence identity construction of adoptees?

Paper long abstract:

Shilpi Gowda's novel "Secret Daughter," Bharti Kirchner`s novel "Shiva Dancing," and Asha Mirό's memoir "Daughter of the Ganges" all feature representations of female transnational adoptees returning to India for the first time. This paper considers how adopted individuals in these texts construct their homes, and how the return journey for adopted individuals in literature can be related to the concept of diasporic return in a broader context. I address issues such as the how literary representations of adoptees both conform to and challenge contemporary models of diasporic consciousness, as well as how adoptees (de/re)construct concepts of 'Home' and 'Self' in relation to 'Other.' Furthermore, I consider the ways in which understandings of national/cultural identity are shaped through return journeys.

Utilizing the tools of transnational feminisms and diasporic literary criticisms, I draw on studies from a range of disciplines to work towards a framework for understanding the relationship between the diasporic female author and the transnationally adopted girl-child/character. For example, in Mirό's text, the character and author are simultaneously the same and different, while Gowda's and Kirchner's texts also feature biographical elements, strengthening the association between adoptee and diasporic subjectivity. A common quest for truth and belonging underscores these works, and all of the adoptees come to similar realizations about their 'Selves' which is heavily influenced by perspectives attainable only through the return journey, making it central to these three texts.