Ideological Racism, Cultural Conflict, and Diasporic Identity in Nadeem Aslam’s Maps for Lost Lovers

Abstract

This research explains Maps for Lost Lovers by Nadeem Aslam, a novel that paints a deeply emotional and disturbing picture of life within a British Pakistani immigrant community. At its heart, the novel shows how racism isn’t just something that comes from the outside world—it also grows from within, through inherited cultural norms, rigid traditions, and deeply rooted belief systems. Using Pierre-André Taguieff’s theory of the “force of prejudice” and its doubles—exclusion and stigmatization—this study explores how characters are pushed to the margins, both by the white majority society and by their own community’s internal divisions. Taguieff’s framework helps reveal how racism operates not only through policies and stereotypes but also through everyday interactions, religious expectations, and family structures. Particularly striking is the way women in the novel resist this layered oppression, often silently but powerfully, trying to claim space for their identity and voice. Aslam’s storytelling becomes more than fiction—it becomes a lens through which we can better understand how racism, tradition, and the longing to belong collide in the lives of those living between cultures. This study argues that Maps for Lost Lovers is not just a story of love and loss—it's a critical reflection on how prejudice, when left unchallenged, can shape entire lives.

Key Words : Ideological racism, cultural conflict, diasporic identity, postcolonial literature, immigrant experience, honor, violence and marginalization