Symbolic Representations of Migrant Experience Through a Cartography of Objects in Contemporary Fiction

Abstract

Material objects are a critical component of culture. Our culture dictates our identity, and this is apparent in the novels discussed in this paper. Questions of cultural identity are explored through the medium of symbolic objects in novels by postcolonial authors including Timothy Mo, Hanif Kureishi and Monica Ali. Each author explores the symbolic potential of everyday objects to tell the story of migrant experience in contemporary Britain.