The Unhomely Homeland: Exile, Contested Belonging and the politics of cultural Identity in Roma Tearne's Mosquito

Priyadharshini RG; Rajeswari V

The Unhomely Homeland: Exile, Contested Belonging and the politics of cultural Identity in Roma Tearne's Mosquito

Author(s)	Ms. Priyadharshini RG, Dr. Rajeswari V
Country	India
Abstract	Exile is often understood as a geographical separation from one's homeland; however, in postcolonial literature, it also signifies a deeper disruption of memory, identity, and the emotional connections that make a place feel like home. Roma Tearne’s Mosquito (2007) explores this complex relationship through the experiences of characters whose lives are shaped by Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict, displacement, political violence, and cultural divisions. This paper examines how the novel represents the homeland as a contested space in which physical return does not necessarily guarantee emotional security or cultural belonging. Drawing on Homi K. Bhabha’s concepts of cultural hybridity and the unhomely, Stuart Hall’s theory of cultural identity, and Avtar Brah’s understanding of diaspora, the study investigates the relationship between exile, place, memory, and identity. Through an analysis of Theo Samarajeeva’s return to Sri Lanka, Nulani Mendis’s artistic expression, and the conflict-ridden social environment surrounding them, the paper argues that belonging in Mosquito is neither stable nor exclusively determined by national origin. Instead, cultural identity emerges through encounters between personal memory, collective history, ethnic difference, and individual agency. The novel consequently challenges the assumption that the homeland provides an unquestionable source of identity. It suggests that home can become unfamiliar when political violence transforms the social and emotional meanings of place. The paper concludes that Mosquito presents belonging as an ongoing negotiation rather than a permanent condition, revealing the limitations of fixed cultural identities in a society fractured by conflict.
Keywords	Exile , belonging , cultural identity , diaspora , post colonialism , hybridity homeland , srilanka literature
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-10-26

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The Unhomely Homeland: Exile, Contested Belonging and the politics of cultural Identity in Roma Tearne's Mosquito

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