EXPLORING

VICTIM DIASPORA
IN KAMILA SHAMSIE'S
KARTOGRAPHY
Diaspora:

■ The word ‘Diaspora’ comes from the Greek translation of the

Bible and originates in the word ‘to sow widely’. The ancient
Greeks used this word to mean migration and colonization.
■ Originally, the idea that originated from a mass nature with
catastrophic origins and as having been dispersed from an
original centre to two or more foreign regions. Eventually,
however, the meaning of a diaspora changed to become quite
negative, to describe a forced dispersion of people out of their
homeland to their countries of exile.
Victim Diaspora:
■ First used by Robin Cohen in 1997 in his book, Global
Diaspora an Introduction.
■ Victim Diaspora is the pioneer of all Diasporas and is also
called as Catastrophic diaspora.
■ Victim diaspora is considered who is forcefully dispersed
/migrated from his homeland due to political, religion, ethnic,
cultural, language, national or international, violence and any
other region. Victim diaspora is also called ‘catastrophic’
diaspora.
■ It is the result of mass displacements that are occasioned by
events wholly outside the individual controls-wars, ethnic
cleansing, natural disaster, programs.
Victim Diaspora in Kartography:

■ The novel touches on the repercussions of the 1947

Partition of India and Pakistan, which led to massive
migrations and the creation of new national identities.
This event caused significant upheaval, leading to a
victim diaspora as people were displaced and had to
navigate the complexities of belonging and identity in
a new country.
From
"Muhajir = Welcome"
to
"Muhajir = You are not from here."
(Oskar Verkaaik)
■ "What kind of immigrant is born in a city and spends his whole life
there, and gets married there, and raises his daughter there? And
I, an immigrant’s daughter, was an immigrant too…. If I told them
Karachi was my home just as much as it was anyone else’s, would
they look at me and think: another Muhajir. Immigrant. Still
Immigrants, though our family had crossed the border nearly four
decades ago" (27).
■ "‘Karachi’s my home, you know. Why did those bloody
Muhajirs have to go and form a political group? Once they’re
united they’ll do God knows what. Demanding this,
demanding that. Thinking just because they’re a majority in
Karachi they can trample over everyone else. Like they did in
’47. Coming across the border thinking we should be grateful
for their presence.’ I could see her shadow move across the
wall as she paced across the room. ‘Do you hear the way
people like Zafar and Yasmin talk about “their Karachi”? My
family lived there for generations. Who the hell are these
Muhajirs to pretend it’s their city!’" (27).
■ In Kartography, the characters grapple with their personal
histories against the backdrop of Karachi’s ethnic violence and
political strife. The novel explores how these historical events
have shaped the characters’ sense of self and their
relationships with each other.
■ The ethnic tensions and violence in Karachi, which complicates
the notion of ‘homeland’ for the migrants. The volatile and
hostile conditions faced by the migrants underscore their
status as a victim diaspora, as they find no sense of security
and belonging in Pakistan and have to organize themselves
under a new distinct ethnic label: the Muhajir.
■ "We left India in 1947—we left our homes, Raheen, think of
what that means— saying we cannot live amid this injustice,
this political marginalization, this exclusion" (181).
■ "Muhajirs came here leaving everything behind. Our homes,
our families, our ways of life. We can’t be blamed if some—
mind you some—of us came from areas with education
systems that made us qualified for office jobs instead of latrine
cleaning, which is the kind of job you seem to think
immigrants should be grateful for" (130).
■ The use of the collective pronoun signifies Yasmin’s and Zafar’s
alignment with the Muhajir community, despite their aversion
to it.
■ The novel also exemplifies the complexities of identity and
belonging for the Bengali Diaspora in Pakistan, connecting
their experiences beyond political lines and highlighting the
personal narratives of struggle that often go unnoticed in the
larger geopolitical discourse.
■ It reveals the plight of Bengali women who migrated to
Pakistan after the partition to escape economic struggles and
social stigma. Shamsie shows that how these women become
vulnerable targets in any ethnic conflict , even if they do not
have direct involvement in it.
■ Maheen, Karim's mother, comes from Bengal. Throughout the
novel, she faces discrimination. Her relationship with Zafar
ended due to her advocacy for Bengalis.
■ "How can I marry one of them? Can I let one of them bear my
children? Think of it as a civic duty. I’ll be diluting her Bengali
bloodline" (232).
■ Raheen loses Karim because Karim’s mother is a Bengali; a
member of the enemy class and one of the infidel (277).
■ "He’s not Bengali, he’s not. He’s my friend. Why is he
lying?" (28).
■ "Bengali was a bad word" (28).
■ "Those bastards, those bastards, those Mukti Bahini bastards!
They’ve won the war, let them have the country, let them have
it. I never cared" (230).
■ Kartography, thus, uses victim diaspora framework to explore
the enduring effects of conflict and displacement on
individuals and the challenges they face in reconciling their
identities with the political and social realities of their
homeland.
Thank you!