Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Language and Intercultural Studies, Bagher-al-Ulum University, Qom, Iran
2 M.A student in Children and Young Adult Literature,, University of Gilan, Gilan, Iran
Abstract
Abstract
Migration literature is one of the significant branches of postcolonial literature, offering a space for representing the lived experiences of migrants within diverse cultural contexts. Homi Bhabha’s theory of the “Third Space,” with its emphasis on fluid, in-between, and hybrid identities, provides a valuable theoretical framework for analyzing such texts. This study, employing a descriptive-analytical method and content analysis, investigates the representation of the Third Space in Our Home by Cynthia Kadohata. In this novel, the linguistic, racial, generational, and economic experiences of adolescent migrant characters are narrated in a way that leads to the formation of an in-between, hybrid, and layered identity. This identity belongs neither wholly to the culture of origin nor to that of the destination, but emerges within an interstitial and fluid space. An analysis of narrative elements—such as cultural conflicts, linguistic gaps, experiences of inequality, and discriminatory situations—reveals that the novel, through simple yet multi-layered language, effectively conveys complex concepts such as alienation, adaptation, self-redefinition, and identity tensions to its adolescent audience. The findings highlight the crucial role of young adult literature in articulating postcolonial concepts and fostering a deeper understanding of migrant identity positions in the contemporary world.
Keywords: Postcolonialism, adolescent Migration Literature,, Homi Bhabha, ,Our Home
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