Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

@article{208148,
        author = {Hima S S},
        title = {Remembering the Unspoken: Memory, Trauma, and Cultural Identity in Elif Shafak’s Fiction},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {4},
        pages = {577-582},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=208148},
        abstract = {Memory occupies a central position in Elif Shafak’s fiction, where individual recollections frequently intersect with collective histories, cultural identities, political violence, displacement, and inherited trauma. Her novels demonstrate that remembering is not merely an act of recovering the past but also a process through which individuals and communities negotiate identity. This article examines the representation of memory, trauma, and cultural identity in Shafak’s The Bastard of Istanbul (2007), The Forty Rules of Love (2009), and 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World (2019). Drawing upon trauma studies, memory studies, and cultural theories of identity, the article argues that Shafak uses fragmented memories, silenced histories, storytelling, food, objects, family narratives, and marginalized voices to reveal the persistence of the past in the present. Her fiction particularly emphasizes the relationship between personal trauma and cultural memory, demonstrating how experiences that remain unspoken can nevertheless shape subsequent generations. In The Bastard of Istanbul, the Armenian-Turkish historical conflict becomes an unresolved memory transmitted through family relationships. The Forty Rules of Love connects spiritual transformation with the recovery of suppressed emotional histories, while 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World presents memory as an act of resistance through which a marginalized woman reconstructs her life after death. Across these works, Shafak challenges official histories and creates alternative spaces where forgotten and silenced experiences can be remembered. Her fiction ultimately suggests that confronting painful memories is essential to constructing a more inclusive cultural identity.},
        keywords = {Elif Shafak, Memory, Trauma, Cultural Identity, Collective Memory.},
        month = {September},
        }