Migration and Humanitarian Crisis: A Transnational Analysis of Cummins’ American Dirt

Abstract

The present study explores the interconnections of migration and humanitarian crisis across borders through a transnational analysis of Cummins’ (2020) American Dirt. Cummins is a renowned American fiction writer known for her works that explore trauma, justice and human resilience. Her acclaimed novel American Dirt (2020) draws on the migrant crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border and highlights the perilous journeys and humanitarian struggles of migrants seeking refuge. Using the close reading method of analysis, the study employs Vertovec’s (2009) transnationalism theory that explores how transnational discourse enable migrants and diasporas to construct their own social fields that reshape belongingness, identity, culture and politics across borders. Vertovec’s (2009) transnationalism explores how individuals and groups maintain relations and identities across national borders challenging traditional ideas of identity, community and belonging. The findings of the study reveal that American Dirt (2020) highlights migrants’ struggle with danger, isolation and cultural barriers emphasizing their resilience and search for belongingness. Further the findings reveal the complex ethical dilemma, systemic injustice and power dynamics migrants face highlighting their struggle for survival and identity.