Introduction

How do theorists of border studies and transnationalism capture a state of being that is fluid and exilic, and that attests to remembering, rather than forgetting, the anguish of the self? How do memories shape the consciousness of not just an individual, but also a nation that must come to terms with historical trauma and dislocation? In times where state and national borders are becoming increasingly elusive, fluid, and mobile, the positions of certain populations are shifting from disadvantaged and peripheral to become important participants in dialogue and expression. Such interfaces create new avenues for understanding the existence and perpetuation of the borders that run deep in a nation's psyche, and deeply engage with memory studies as a tool for understanding how, and how much, a nation remembers. Fiji is one such site where memories of the borders and conflicts that emerged in the process of nation-building continue to thrive, affecting the political and cultural landscape of the nation.

This chapter seeks to understand the notions of borders, home, and belonging of the Indo-Fijians through the poetry of Sudesh Mishra, a contemporary Indo-Fijian-Australian poet.