Qualitative analysis reveals how trauma and memory reshape female diasporic identity, indicating cognitive post-traumatic stress pathways in cultural adjustment.
Key Points
To evaluate how trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, sites of memory, and sexuality serve as psychological mechanisms in shaping the identities of diasporic women.
Conducted a qualitative textual analysis of female characters in Jhumpa Lahiri's short story collection Roman Stories.
Synthesized critical frameworks from trauma theory, memory studies, and postcolonial theory, including works by Pierre Nora, Gayatri Spivak, Cathy Caruth, Julia Kristeva, Judith Herman, and Edward Said.
Applied Ehlers and Clark’s cognitive model of post-traumatic stress disorder to map the psychological trajectory of diasporic female identity development.
Diasporic subjects persistently relive traumatic experiences, with post-traumatic stress disorder driving ongoing identity crises during hostland integration.
Female diasporic identity formation diverges substantially from male trajectories, being uniquely triggered by physical sites of memory and negotiated through sexual intimacy and objectification.
Identity construction operates as a phased psychological continuum, advancing from initial spheres of trauma exposure to active cognitive processing.
Cite This Study
Chattopadhyay et al. (2026) studied this question.