Diasporic Space–Time and the Cultural Reconstruction of Bharat in Indian English Literary Narratives

Indian English diasporic literature constitutes a significant cultural archive through which Bharat is imaginatively reconstructed beyond its geographical boundaries. While existing scholarship has extensively examined themes of migration, hybridity, and identity, limited attention has been paid to the role of spatial–temporal imagination in shaping diasporic cultural consciousness. This paper addresses this gap by examining how Indian English diasporic narratives reconfigure space and time to reconstruct Bharat as a cultural, emotional, and civilizational idea. Drawing upon Bakhtin’s concept of the chronotope, Lefebvre’s theory of socially produced space, and insights from diaspora studies, the study argues that diasporic narratives operate within a dual spatial framework—inhabiting the lived space of the host nation and the remembered space of the homeland. Temporality in these narratives is non-linear, structured through memory, nostalgia, ritual, and ancestral continuity rather than chronological progression. Such spatial–temporal configurations enable diasporic subjects to sustain cultural identity despite displacement. Methodologically, the study adopts qualitative phenomenological textual analysis of select Indian English diasporic narratives; the paper demonstrates how Bharat is reconstructed not merely as a nation-state but as a cultural and ethical continuum. These narratives function as instruments of cultural preservation and soft power, contributing to the global representation of Indian values and traditions. The study concludes that space–time imagination in diasporic literature plays a crucial role in the cultural development of Bharat, offering an alternative model of nationhood grounded in memory, belonging, and transnational cultural dialogue.