Interview

Sitting Down with Mohsin – “Make distance collapse”

I really enjoyed this interview mainly because it is fairly current but also shows current events intersecting with Hamid’s work. The entirety of the discussion focuses on his theme of displacement and identity throughout his publishings. Mainly appearing in both “Exit West” and “The Reluctant Fundamentalist”, migration to the West is discussed as well as the effect migration can have on humans when actually choosing displacement. Beginning with his childhood, Mohsin has never really sat still in terms of what country he chooses to live in, thus making this a very personal theme to dive into.

In the interview I was able to better understand how the world needs to progress in regards to viewing migration as a universal norm. Originally I didn’t fully understand the parallel between equality and how that relates to some people’s views on migration. Mohsin discusses the importance of getting to the point in this world where it doesn’t matter where you were born, everyone is equal and can migrate equally. Though certain characteristics are being more and more accepted there are still laws that are telling us we are not all equal as human beings. It was really helpful to bring this full circle seeing it in politics today with circumstances like a travel ban. In addition, social media painting our opinions on politics today can be such a negative wave of information that can become increasingly overwhelming. That’s why Hamid’s comment on his faith in young people was inspiring and very heartening to hear. Overall, this interview was very informative on Hamid’s theme source but also really fun to see where his ideas are coming from (such as his Narnia inspiration!)