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History and myth are inseparable. Indeed, the farther back in time one goes, the more a nation's history becomes entangled with (and inseparable from) myth. In the accompanying paper, I discuss how Rushdie uses myth-making to revision India's history in Midnight's Children. However, history can be revisioned by mimesis just as effectively as it can be by myth-making; indeed, to the diasporic mind, mimesis is an essential tool of survival.
Diasporic mimesis takes on two forms. The first is a mimesis of the homeland's myths and traditions, in order to maintain a sense of belonging and identity that is congruent with one's ethnic ancestry. The second is a mimesis of the customs of the new land-the land to which the diasporic individual has traveled. This second form of mimesis is only natural, since geographical displacement (and re-placement) requires a considerable degree of intellectual and emotional adaptation. Thus, the diasporic mind is in a state of perpetual translation, in which both forms of mimesis intercept and merge.
This merging of narratives-native and foreign, familiar and unfamiliar, ancient and new-is the fruitful "Third Space" (Bhabha 74-75) to which Homi Bhabha refers. It is by no means a stable space, being as tumultuous as the merging of Ganga and Yamuna, the two greatest rivers of India. What makes this analogy particularly suited to the diasporic imagination is the fact that the mythical river, Saraswati, is crucial to the merging Ganga and Yamuna. Also known as Triveni Sangam or "Union of Three," this triple knot of rivers- two geographical, one mythical-is also considered a symbol of life (Lane).
The third river-that of myth-is what allows communication and transferance between the two halves of the diasporic mind. The Third Space is, in this case, a mythical one- a psychological Saraswati, where story-telling becomes the unifying force between "home" and "abroad."
Invisible landscapes remain important in the mythologies of all the great religions. Every 12 years at Allahabad in northern India, a great Hindu pilgrimage called the Triveni is made to the point at which three sacred rivers converge: the Ganges, the Yamuna and the Saraswati. The third river is the most sacred of all, but it is not to be found on any map. This is a mythical river, having...