From Postcolonial Migration to Digital Nomadism: Mobility, Identity, and Displacement in Bye-Bye Blackbird and Nomadland

Abstract

This paper explores the themes of mobility, displacement, and identity crises in Anita Desai’s novel Bye-Bye Blackbird and Chloé Zhao’s film Nomadland, using Zygmunt Bauman’s theory of “Liquid Modernity” as a critical framework. Both works examine individuals navigating an unstable world where home, work, and identity are fluid and uncertain. Bye-Bye Blackbird is set against the dilemma of postcolonial British migrants, the fragmented sense of identity, while Nomadland captures the trend of digital nomadism and economic dislocation of contemporary America. Even though they are set in different times in history and culture, both capture the impermanence of present-day mobility whereby individuals are forced to reside in continuous motion due to economic instability, globalization, and the elasticity of social fabric. By contrasting Adit in Bye-Bye Blackbird and Fern in Nomadland, this study reveals how traditional perceptions of home and stability dissolve in a liquid modern world. Adit's struggles as an immigrant are reflected in Fern's nomadic life, demonstrating how displacement either caused by colonial histories or capitalist regimes leads to emotional disconnection and identity crises. This paper attempts to bridge the gap between postcolonial migration and digital nomadism, shedding light on the evolving nature of displacement in a rapidly globalizing world.