Diaspora, Memory, and Minority Ethics: Re-reading Rohinton Mistry’s Fiction

Abstract

The three main books of Rohinton Mistry—Such a Long Journey, A Fine Balance, and Family Matters—are studied from the viewpoints of diaspora studies and minority discourse. It seeks to show how Mistry reinterprets diaspora as an ethical and psychological condition influenced by memory, minority identity, historical vulnerability, and negotiated belonging within postcolonial India, rather than just as geographical displacement. Using theoretical frameworks from postcolonial and diaspora studies, the study uses a qualitative textual analysis of Mistry's chosen novels. Parsi identity representations, internal displacement, ethical realism, historical violence, and community fragility are examined using key concepts including Avtar Brah's "diaspora space," Homi Bhabha's "minority discourse," and Stuart Hall's theories of identity. To investigate the relationship between individual experiences and more general sociopolitical realities, close reading is used. According to the study's findings, Rohinton Mistry reframes diaspora as a type of minority ethics based on memory, history, and daily battles for dignity. By focusing on internal displacement, demographic instability, and moral tenacity rather than just physical movement, his fiction broadens the field of diaspora studies. The intersections of ethical realism, subnational belonging, and minority identity in Indian English literature may be further examined in future studies, along with comparative viewpoints with other diasporic and postcolonial authors.