RECLAIMING HISTORY: TRANSNATIONAL MEMORY IN KAMILA SHAMSIE’S BURNT SHADOWS

Abstract

This paper investigates how Kamila Shamsie’s Burnt Shadows reclaims historical narratives through the lens of transnational memory, challenging dominant Eurocentric historiographies and emphasizing Pakistani agency. Spanning multiple geopolitical moments — Hiroshima, Partition, Afghanistan, and post-9/11 New York — the novel mobilizes a non-linear structure and intergenerational storytelling to critique colonial legacies and disrupt fixed national boundaries. Drawing on Homi Bhabha’s theory of hybridity, Edward Said’s critique of Orientalism, and Sara Ahmed’s framework of affective economies, this study explores how Shamsie’s characters negotiate cultural trauma, exile, and belonging across continents and decades. Particular attention is paid to the emotional and political entanglements between Hiroko and Sajjad, which illustrate the affective dimension of memory in resisting imperial erasure. Through a comparative nod to Adichie’s Americanah, the paper also situates Burnt Shadows within the broader discourse of transnational postcolonial literature, arguing that memory operates not only as a personal archive but as a decolonial tool. Ultimately, this research highlights the novel’s contribution to reframing Pakistani identity in global literature and proposes a critical pathway for further exploration of memory, displacement, and resistance in contemporary South Asian writing.