Reboot or Breakdown: Posthumanism, Trauma, and The Limits of Adaptation in Mukherjee’s Migrant Narratives

Abstract

This paper examines Bharati Mukherjee’s Wife and Jasmine through the perspective of posthuman philosophy, proposing that migration triggers a posthuman transition that challenges traditional identity paradigms. Using the concept of fluidity and self-evolution in reaction to external influences proposed by posthumanism, this study examines trauma as a crucial driver of identity reconfiguration in both novels. Jasmine presents the central character’s frequent experiences with violence and displacement as a source of posthuman resilience, as shown by her ongoing ability to adapt and self-reinvent. In contrast, the Wife portrays Dimple’s painful experiences as a fatal “glitch” in her posthuman development, resulting in psychological disintegration and, finally, self-destruction, as evidenced by Amit’s murder. Through a comparative study, the research investigates whether trauma in the migrant setting promotes adaptation and survival or causes irreversible disintegration. By situating these narratives within a posthuman framework, this study investigates the psychological consequences of migration, the breakdown of identity, and the precarious balance between adaptation and annihilation in the posthuman era, providing new insight into the migrant experience.