ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to theorize the notion of a 'diaspora subjectivity' within the context of the Indian diaspora. To do so, the chapter engages with theoretical paradigms that deal with the nature of diasporic experiences and processes of identity formation which occur when migration takes place. It draws from definitions offered by theorists like Butler, Safran, Cho, Agnew, and Cohen, in order to collate shared characteristics as put forth by these scholars. Drawing from a review of literature from diverse disciplinary sources, the chapter examines how the notion of the diasporic subjectivity is bound to evolve in the context of the contemporary phenomenon of transnationalism. It examines Jhumpa Lahiri's body of work as an "effective creative exploration of this turmoil-rich hybrid space". It is the complicated fluidity of twenty-first-century diasporic subjectivities that calls for new paradigms of theorization that go beyond classical definitions which have dominated the larger discourse of diaspora studies as an academic domain.
