Rethinking Diaspora through Borders: Contemporary Somali Literature in English and Italian

Abstract This article examines contemporary Somali diasporic literature by proposing a comparative analysis of Nuruddin Farah’s Maps and selection texts written authors origin currently writing in Italian: Shirin Ramzanali Fazel, Cristina Ubah Ali Farah, Igiaba Scego. Drawing on diaspora studies, theories narrative space, world literature, this argues that places at its imaginative symbolic core the concept border. In so doing, interlocks formal strategies to political literary histories order challenge naturalized perception linguistic territorial boundaries. Through investigation how processes border production contestation define both geographies dynamics institutional recognition members global diaspora, further suggests writers engage with epistemologies articulate more historically conscious modalities belonging place language.