Between Shores: Geophilosophical and Psychogeographical Explorations of Belonging in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s by the Sea (2001)

In Abdulrazak Gurnah's work By the Sea (2001), the complex notion of belonging emerges as a central concern, intricately interwoven with the cultural and geographic landscape of the Indian Ocean region. The novel weaves a tapestry of profound geophilosophical and psychogeographical implications, as its primary setting, the coastline, becomes a multifaceted metaphor for the complex human experience of displacement, identity, and the ever-shifting nature of borders, both physical and existential. The vastness and fluidity of the sea, juxtaposed with the solid but permeable shoreline, serves as a symbolic stage upon which the characters' journeys of self-discovery and grappling with their place in the world unfold. Using Deleuze and Guattari’s concepts of deterritorialization and smooth versus striated space, this research paper argues that the geophilosophical and psychogeographical aspects of Gurnah’s by the Sea are expounded to reveal the disturbing undercurrent of colonization and its lingering effects on individual and collective identities in contemporary Africa. Through examining the characters' journeys of self-discovery against the backdrop of colonial history, the analysis illustrates how the fluidity of space and the complexity of belonging shape their experiences of rootlessness and alienation.