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  • Research Article

Reimagining Diasporic Identities and Character Voices in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s The Last Gift (2011)

Nuha Baaqeel1
1Department of Languages and Translation, College of Arts and Humanities, Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70517/revcc2624144
Published: 13/10/2026
: Nuha Baaqeel. Reimagining Diasporic Identities and Character Voices in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s The Last Gift (2011). Revista Cultura Científica, 2026 Issue 24. pg. 1744-1754.

Abstract

This study amplifies diasporic identities through character voices in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s novel The Last Gift (2011). It centres African diasporic voices and marginalised perspectives and experiences rather than privileging Eurocentric interpretations. Informed by postcolonial theory and diaspora studies, this study employs narrative discourse analysis, a qualitative method involving close examination of narrative structures, character voices, and linguistic patterns in the text. It examines how Gurnah’s narrative reframes diasporic displacement as a transgenerational and sociopolitical phenomenon profoundly shaped by colonial legacies. The novel’s intimate portrayal of Abbas and his family presents complex diasporic identities marked by cultural hybridity, double consciousness, and profound experiences of alienation. This perspective demonstrates that diasporic displacement extends well beyond physical relocation. Instead, it is a multifaceted phenomenon that affects personal and collective identity across generations, as exemplified by the perceptions, mindsets, behaviours, and lives of Abbas’ two children. It demonstrates the impact of colonialism on cultural heritage, belonging, identity, alienation, and generational differences within diasporic communities. Moreover, The Last Gift shows how silences and recovered narratives can function as political acts of rebellion against dominant diasporic displacement and identity discourses. The present study contextualises the novel within broader discourses around African displacement. It contributes to scholarly discussions of displacement and belonging by demonstrating how narrative form itself can register the fragmented consciousness associated with diasporic displacement.

Keywords: diasporic identity; character voices; alienation; linguistic registers; postcolonial migration; silence; narrative discourse

Abstract

This study amplifies diasporic identities through character voices in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s novel The Last Gift (2011). It centres African diasporic voices and marginalised perspectives and experiences rather than privileging Eurocentric interpretations. Informed by postcolonial theory and diaspora studies, this study employs narrative discourse analysis, a qualitative method involving close examination of narrative structures, character voices, and linguistic patterns in the text. It examines how Gurnah’s narrative reframes diasporic displacement as a transgenerational and sociopolitical phenomenon profoundly shaped by colonial legacies. The novel’s intimate portrayal of Abbas and his family presents complex diasporic identities marked by cultural hybridity, double consciousness, and profound experiences of alienation. This perspective demonstrates that diasporic displacement extends well beyond physical relocation. Instead, it is a multifaceted phenomenon that affects personal and collective identity across generations, as exemplified by the perceptions, mindsets, behaviours, and lives of Abbas’ two children. It demonstrates the impact of colonialism on cultural heritage, belonging, identity, alienation, and generational differences within diasporic communities. Moreover, The Last Gift shows how silences and recovered narratives can function as political acts of rebellion against dominant diasporic displacement and identity discourses. The present study contextualises the novel within broader discourses around African displacement. It contributes to scholarly discussions of displacement and belonging by demonstrating how narrative form itself can register the fragmented consciousness associated with diasporic displacement.

Keywords: diasporic identity; character voices; alienation; linguistic registers; postcolonial migration; silence; narrative discourse

References

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Nuha Baaqeel
Department of Languages and Translation, College of Arts and Humanities, Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia
nbaageel@taibahu.edu.sa

How to cite:

Nuha Baaqeel. Reimagining Diasporic Identities and Character Voices in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s The Last Gift (2011). Revista Cultura Científica, 2026 Issue 24. pg. 1744-1754.

Publication History

  • Received: 10/06/2026
  • Accepted: 05/10/2026
  • Published: 13/10/2026
Copyright © 2026, Nuha Baaqeel. Published by Revista Cultura Científica. This article is published as open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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