Diasporic Criticism of Rohangiz Sharifian's Novel Who Believes Rostam

Diaspora criticism is one of the recent literary approaches in cultural studies that examines the cultural works of the post-colonial era—an era when formerly colonized countries regained their independence one after another. During this time, authors viewed writing about their native history, memories, and culture as a powerful form of resistance. They used the formats of stories and novels to express the concerns of immigrants in the host land. The present article follows this approach in a descriptive-analytical manner and employs content analysis to examine the concerns of immigrants reflected in the novel Who Believes Rostam by Rooh Angiz Sharifian. It aims to answer two questions: Which components of diaspora does the author use in the text to convey his thoughts on immigration? And to what extent do the titles and names of the fictional characters align with the theme of the work (Diaspora)? The results show that despite spending 30 years in exile, the subject has not overcome feelings of confusion, wonder, and alienation. He remains caught between wide bipolarities such as here and there, past and future, yesterday and today, homeland and foreign land, mother tongue and another language. Themes of freedom and diaspora—such as homesickness, mental crisis, revisiting past memories, cultural differences, and nostalgia—are evident throughout the entire novel.
Introduction:
Diasporic criticism is one of several literary approaches within cultural studies developed over the past decade. It examines cultural works from the post-colonial era in formerly colonized countries—a period during which these nations regained independence one after another. Writers during this time viewed writing about their native history, memories, and culture as a powerful form of resistance. Diaspora means dispersion, a compound of two Greek words, dia and spora, and refers to a group of people who have a common ethnic origin and are expelled from their homeland and migrate from their homeland for unwanted reasons and settle in another land. Diaspora refers to ethnic capacities scattered in all parts of the world in order to reproduce political, social, and cultural demands centered on that identity. According to Cohen, a diasporic society consists of individuals who migrate from their homeland to a new country, either by force or choice, yet remain loyal to their country of origin. They maintain this connection through allegiance to its language, religion, customs, traditions, and collective narratives.
The term diaspora refers specifically to the dispersion of the Jewish people after the destruction of their temple in Mesopotamia. Today, the term diaspora has been extended beyond the Jewish people to include migrants from all over the world. A diaspora is a collective dispersion from the homeland, but what distinguishes diaspora from other movements is its undeniable connection to the homeland. According to Homi Bhabha, an Indian-born theorist, migration and memory have a meaningful correlation because the immigrant is separated from the time and place of his memories and finds himself in a position of disembodiedness in the new country. The immigrants are neither fully identified by their homeland nor are allowed to feel a complete sense of belonging in the host society. A key aspect of Bhabha’s theory is his interpretation of this lack of belonging, which he terms the third space. According to James Clay ford; the desire to return and the continued support of the homeland are the distinguishing features of this type of movement. Migration literature, which is also known as exile literature, diaspora literature, displacement literature, dispersion literature, or expatriate literature, encompasses texts written by immigrants and expresses their experiences and emotions. It emerges outside the land that is the original homeland of its creator. On one hand, it reflects the issues that compelled a person to migrate, underpinned by a profound sense of homesickness and patriotism. On the other hand, it describes events that may occur in the destination country and shares commonalities with the writings of all ethnic groups from various immigrant nations.
The voice of women among immigrant writers has been clearer and more expressive than others, a number of women writers have started writing experience during the migration period and have been very successful, and the publication of their works in the form of a literary stream is one of the important events of migration literature. Roohangiz Sharifian (1941) - the winner of the Hoshang Golshiri award in 1983 - is one of these successful women who in the novel “Who Believes Rostam” deals with the issue of immigration and the narrator of concepts such as alienation, nostalgia, returning to the homeland and Iranian identity. The feeling of alienation and marginalization in the new society has messed up the self-confidence of the main character of the story - who is a woman - and has conveyed her worthlessness and forced her to seek refuge in nostalgia and the past.
Methodology:
In this article, the authors aim to identify the elements of diaspora in Sharifian's compelling novel, which reflects his experiences of immigrating to a new land, portrayed through the narrative of the novel. The method used in this article is a descriptive-analytical approach that begins with the review and collection of diaspora components and criteria from various texts. It concludes with discussion, criticism, and analysis. Based on the theme of the novel Who Believes Rostam, the diasporic criticism of this work can provide readers with a deeper understanding of its concepts and introduce them to another world—the world of immigrants and migration.
Results and Discussion:
One of the findings of the current research is that Roohangiz Sharifian’s novel, in terms of content and theme, is one of those types of immigration literature where an immigrant has experienced two or three decades of living in a new society, and in other words, this novel reflects life. He is a dual-identity citizen who still struggles with the sadness of alienation and distance from his motherland, and to get rid of this sadness, he seeks refuge in his past, his fantasies, and his childhood memories.
Conclusion:
In this novel, Roohangiz Sharifian portrays the inner and outer struggles of first-generation immigrant women as they navigate life in exile, highlighting their deep and emotional connection to the past. The novel addresses the heart of a longing person who is never truly separated from their motherland, with emotional challenges that persistently trouble them. The sense of homelessness—being caught between opposing dualities such as here and there, past and future, yesterday and today, hometown and foreign land, mother tongue and another language—must be resolved. The subject of distance, the loss of memories, and the fading of happiness remains profoundly impactful. Additionally, the names chosen for the characters in the story are remarkably well-suited to the themes of migration and displacement. Throughout the novel, key elements of the diaspora experience—such as the sadness of homelessness, spiritual crisis, reflection on past memories, cultural differences, and nostalgia—are vividly portrayed. The author writes from the perspective of an immigrant, exploring the effects of migration on the human soul and spirit. The novel offers a compelling and insightful depiction of the immigrant experience.