Memory Writing and Cosmopolitan Identity in Timothy Mo’s Pure

Abstract

In his recent novel Pure (2012), Timothy Mo maps the complex interaction between memory and identity in the post-9/11 context. The novel interweaves the memory narratives of four protagonists and mainly describes the protagonist Snooky’s attempts to negotiate between the Islamic world and the West. This essay draws on memory studies to explore how memory shapes the protagonists’ cosmopolitan identity. The novel contests the binarism prevalent in both Western and fundamentalist Islamic discourses and proposes a cosmopolitan identity that extends beyond the established narrative. This paper argues that the novel explores the otherness inherent in seemingly homogeneous memory narratives and thus nuances the self-versus-other narrative. It suggests that the normative role of collective memory in identity formation may compromise cultural reconciliation. Pure criticizes the constraints of collective memory and reveals the challenges to cosmopolitan identity in a conflict-ridden world.