INTRODUCTION: Unsettling Migrant Narratives

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book looks to the fiction of migration as “a source for metaphorical inspiration and fundamental truths about the human experience of family, mobility, displacement, and resettlement.” It notes the tension between nostalgia and estrangement about their homeland in narratives as expressed in songs, poems, and stories. The book focuses on the novel The Lonely Londoners by Trinidadian immigrant Sam Selvon, Thomas Hylland Eriksen introduces us to the writings of the Windrush generation and their descendants. It focuses on the “emplacement strategies” portrayed in the novels by Marjaneh Bakhtiari. The book contrasts the imaginaries of migration portrayed in the narratives with the experiences of many of French research participants who are their contemporaries. It highlights the ways in which migrants’ narratives “stem from specific social and political concerns”.