Mestiza Consciousness Unveiled: An Exploration of Postmemory as 'Secondary Witnessing' in Kamila Shamsie's Salt and Saffron

Abstract

This paper explores various ways in which memories from the past cause the present to resurface, and enable different characters of the novel Salt and Saffron by Kamila Shamsie to bear witness to these memories as “secondary witnesses” of post-memory. By using the lens of ‘memory turn’ this study sheds light on the repercussions of different historical events delineated in the novel like the decline of the Mughal rule (1526-1707 CE), the revolt (1857), colonial rule (1858- 1947) and Partition (1947) at a national, familial and individual level by using tropes such as old family narratives, subplots, epistolary mode, flashbacks, and family tree. The article’s premise revolves around exploring how the second generation, grapples with the intricate dynamics of memory, identity, and history as they seek “mestiza consciousness” by acting as both inheritors and interpreters of the past. The theoretical framework for this study will draw upon a complex interplay of memory theories, incorporating Marianna Hirsch's concept of postmemory, Michael Rothberg's exploration of "noeuds de memoir" (knots of memory), and Dora Apel’s concept of "secondary witnessing". Through an examination of these theories, the study aims to illuminate the formation and configuration of Gloria Anzaldúa's concept of "mestiza consciousness". This intersection allows the researcher to show how characters find their “mestiza consciousness” in the context of historical events, sending them into a state of perpetual hysteria as they simultaneously question and interpret their memories as both heirs and interrogators of it.