Belonging and Un-belonging in London: Representations of Home in Diana Evans’ 26a

Abstract

This chapter considers definitions of home in Diana Evans’ novel 26a to explore the psychological and emotional implications of belonging and un-belonging. Drawing upon debates surrounding representations of home within postcolonial studies, the chapter critiques scholarship’s tendency to read manifestations of belonging and un-belonging in black British writing according to discourses around migration, displacement, or an identity of otherness. Engaging with patterns of migration within the city, the chapter examines 26a’s mapping of London, which rewrites familiar migration narratives on a smaller scale, contextualizing the psychological effect generated by migration to localized and microcosmic environments. This chapter reads the novel’s presentation of Neasden, a suburban area in North West London, as an urban microcosm to understand Londoners’ strategies for forging a sense of belonging in a city that encompasses an extensive range of cultures, communities, and identities.