Displacement and Identity Revisited in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s By the Sea

Abstract

By the Sea (2001) by Abdulrazak Gurnah, a Tanzanian-born author and emeritus professor residing in the United Kingdom, offers a nuanced examination of the conventional narratives associated with refugees and asylum seekers. This paper re-evaluates the concept of displacement and its primary consequences for individuals, including homelessness, trauma, psychological conflicts, and the quest for identity. The paper employs a postmodernist and postcolonial framework to contend that By the Sea illustrates the dynamic and contentious nature of identity, particularly through the contrasting identities of Zanzibari and British. The interplay between these distinct cultures and identities fosters a sense of difference, which may ultimately lead to a conflict between the “self” and the “other.” In this context, the paper focuses on two central protagonists of By the Sea, Saleh Omar and Latif Mahmud, who, as refugees exiled in London, endeavour to create a sense of belonging and home for themselves.