Mapping home and place identity in Kek Lian Wah’s prose

The concept of “home” has constituted a significant element and subject of contemplation in the prose of Malaysian Chinese writer, Kek Lian Wah. The author’s personal experiences, which were characterised by a series of tensions between “home” and “journey”, are reflected in the notable complexity and depth of expression within her prose. The multifaceted concept of home in her prose thus provides an excellent basis for discussion. This article draws on theories of home, place and identity in human geography and environmental psychology to examine the portrayal of “home” in Kek’s prose. It analyses Kek’s prose writings from the past twenty years, investigating her representations of home as both a point of departure and a constructed space. It explores the multi-scalar meanings associated with the concept of home and the significance of her ultimate return to it. It proposes that the evolving meaning of home presented in her essays is particularly pertinent to her relationship with her family, especially her parents, and the flux of her memories. This article concludes that Kek’s identity undergoes a significant transformation as the meaning of home in her essays evolves. Her “home-making” journey starts from the domestic environment of her home but gradually expands into a quest for the homeland that represents both a physical place that she identifies as home and an abstract concept.

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