29th Annual Student Research Conference
Transnationalism in the Poetry of Agha Shahid Ali
Adriana M. Long
Dr. Bob Mielke, Faculty Mentor
In penning The Half-Inch Himalayas and A Nostalgist's Map of America, Kashmiri-American poet Agha Shahid Ali immortalized the nostalgic brilliance that stirred in his heart, allowing for an examination of the complexities that stem from a multi-ethnic background. In his work, the reader is asked to join the poet as he sifts through memories in an attempt to understand and make peace with various facets of himself. By analyzing works from The Half-Inch Himalayas leading up to the poet's successive collection, A Nostalgist's Map of America, one can trace Agha Shahid Ali's journey from India to America, and in doing so, can understand the influence that his transnational hybridity had on the poet's sense of self and home, as well as the lasting impact his hybridity had on the literary world.
Keywords: Agha Shahid Ali, Transnationalism, Transnational Hybridity, Post-Colonialism, Poetry, India, The Half-Inch Himalayas, A Nostalgist's Map of America
Topic(s):English
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: -1
Location: VH 1224
Time: 2:30