The Dubious Consolations of Diaspora Criticism

As stated in the introduction, diaspora criticism has changed from the days when migration meant that one stayed put. Now that return journeys are part of the pattern, the dynamics of belonging have changed between diasporic groups, individuals and nation- states. Questions remain concerning the extent and duration to which writers are pressured to convey diasporic histories or represent diasporic communities, as well as how these demands affect women in particular. As well, without invoking the full range of complexities associated with the Sapir- Whorf theory,1 how does one convey another languagemeaning system within the monolingualism of English- language writing? While this chapter cannot provide definitive answers to such questions, they do animate the analyses of the writers discussed here. To support the contention that diaspora criticism needs to be anchored in temporal and spatial specificities, this chapter will focus on three diasporic women writers who are linked by being “South Asian” in complex ways. Anita Rau Badami was born in India in 1961 and immigrated to Canada in 1991. She has published four novels: Tamarind Mem (1996), The Hero's Walk (2001), Can You Hear the Night Bird Call? (2006) and Tell It to the Trees (2011). Shani Mootoo was born in Ireland in 1958, was raised in Trinidad and moved to Canada in 1977. She began her career as a painter and video maker and published her first collection of short stories, Out on Main Street, in 1993.