Author(s):
Maryam Naseem, Professor Dr. Muhammad Asif Khan*
Corresponding Author: drasifkhan39@gmail.com

Abstract:

This article discusses Fatima Farheen Mirza's A Place for Us (2018) in the context of multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism by focusing on Bhikhu Parekh's theory of intercultural dialogue. It poses the question of how, and also how not, micro-interactions between immigrants and their U.S.-raised children become possible, facilitate or hinder cultural negotiations and recognition of each other and seek participation or non-participation in a shared life together. Through qualitative close reading of the novel, which tells a four-part story, the study examines issues of religion, language, gendered expectations, family decisions and retrospective narration. It separates a concept of multiculturalism (the negotiation of cultural plurality and continuity) from a concept of cosmopolitanism (the ethical openness to ideas that call into question one's own). The analysis reveals that the opposition is not between Indian Muslim tradition and American liberalism but that the family's conflicts are not simply binary in nature. Hadia plays between points of view and Layla's dialogue with Amar reveals the limitations of inherited certainties. The late acquaintance with Rafiq's son's singularity transforms command to an option of reciprocity disembarrassed from the necessity of betraying his faith. But his change really comes after Amar is gone; the dialogue suggests he could reunite but doesn't actually tell us that he has. The article proposes that the immigrant home is a space of equality that is, yet not without, the potential to change and transform cultural belonging – reached through critical self-reflection, accommodation and the acknowledgment of the unsolvable difference.

Keywords:
multiculturalism, cosmopolitanism, intercultural dialogue, intergenerational relations, immigrant narratives, A Place for Us

Acceptance Date:
October 15, 2026

Copyright (c) 2026 Maryam Naseem, Professor Dr. Muhammad Asif Khan. Published by Falcons Journal of Advanced Research (FJAR).

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) .