THE PRICE OF BELONGING: A STUDY OF NEGOTIATION OF IDENTITY IN HOME FIRE BY KAMILA SHAMSIE

Abstract

This paper investigates the complexities of Muslim British identity and the cost of cultural belonging through a critical analysis of Kamila Shamsie's Home Fire published in 2017. Drawing on theoretical frameworks including Foucault's “panopticon”, Bhabha’s “third space”, and Butler's “performativity”, the study examines how the novel challenges conventional narratives of assimilation and multiculturalism in post-9/11 Britain. Through close textual analysis, the research reveals how belonging is negotiated across personal, familial, and political spheres, with Muslims British compelled to perform prescribed versions of integration while under constant surveillance. The novel's contemporary reimagining of Sophocles' Antigone serves as a lens to explore how Muslim citizens bear a disproportionate burden of proving their belonging through negotiations between competing loyalties. This study argues that meaningful integration in British society requires a fundamental reimagining of how belonging and identity are conceived, particularly for marginalized communities.