ABSTRACT
The simultaneous perpetuation and dismantling of cultural stereotypes has particular shaping effects on the construction of identity in children of multicultural societies. The notion of nation/nativeness is mediated through the institution of the family: specifically, through metonymic interaction between a child and a grandparent. With reference to two novels – Bringing Back Grandfather by Anjali Banerjee and When Amma Went Away by Devika Rangachari – the essay will show how intergenerational dialogue can negotiate cultural change and continuity, so that child characters’ interaction with grandparents grounds their connection with their cultural origins. There are tensions inherent in this process, however, as it is a site of struggle with contested meanings.
