Displaced belonging: Poetics and politics of belonging in Leila Aboulela's ‘The Ostrich’ and ‘Missing Out’

This paper offers a political analysis of belonging in postcolonial and migrant literature, focusing on Leila Aboulela's short stories ‘The Ostrich’ (2018) and ‘Missing Out’ (2010). As a British Sudanese writer widely acknowledged for her ‘authentic’ portrayal of Muslim experiences in non-Muslim societies, this paper explores how the politics of belonging are reflected in the poetics of these literary narratives, including the structures, settings, and character portrayals. It employs Nira Yuval-Davis's analytical framework of belonging ( 2006 ) to emphasise the role of politics and political projects in the construction and deployment of belonging in the United Kingdom and Sudan. Conducting a comparative analysis of Muslims’ experiences of belonging in the diaspora, this paper unfolds the contestation of belonging in the aftermath of migration and provides the concept of displaced belonging. Displaced belonging is characterised by navigating through multiple political landscapes of belonging, as demonstrated in the experiences of Muslim migrants. The conclusion highlights the impact of the politics of belonging on domestic dynamics and daily experiences of belonging at home, as well as the way homemaking in the diaspora challenges these politics. This paper sheds light on the intersectionality of Muslims’ experiences in non-Muslim societies through the poetics and politics of belonging. Doing so encourages the consideration of Aboulela's works as revered interlocutors of Muslim experiences across various disciplines and provides an interpretive-theoretical framework to enhance the analytical repertoire of literary studies.