Writing Between Worlds: Linguistic Displacement, Identity, and the Search for Belonging in Jhumpa Lahiri’s In Other Words and Whereabouts

Author(s)	Kumari Julee, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Choudhary
Country	India
Abstract	Jhumpa Lahiri’s literary oeuvre has frequently been examined through the frameworks of diaspora, cultural identity, migration, hybridity, and displacement. However, her later linguistic transition from English to Italian offers a distinctive dimension through which her understanding of belonging and identity can be reconsidered. This qualitative research paper examines the relationship between language, displacement, and selfhood in Lahiri’s In Other Words (In altre parole, 2016) and Whereabouts (Dove mi trovo, 2018). Rather than treating language merely as a medium of literary expression, the study conceptualizes language as a space in which identity is negotiated and reconstructed. Through qualitative textual analysis, the paper investigates how Lahiri’s movement into Italian produces experiences of estrangement, vulnerability, freedom, and renewed self-discovery.
Keywords	Jhumpa Lahiri, linguistic displacement, diaspora, identity, belonging, Italian, translation, multilingualism, qualitative research
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-09-05
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i05.87220

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research