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Pockets of connection against the backdrop of culture talk in Ishtiyaq Shukri's novel the silent minaret

Abstract This article argues that Shukri's novel functions as a complex critique of representations of Islam by linking the history of colonisation at the Cape to current hostility towards Muslims in Britain. The reductive inscriptions of cultural difference are defined as “Culture Talk”, against which Shukri's narrative sets meaningful personal encounters. These encounters, which bridge the gap which objectifies the Other, extend beyond the narrative to include the reader of cross‐cultural literature. A close reading of The Silent Minaret traces both the devastating effects of the power of representation as well as Shukri's alternative vision of new relationships that open up pockets of connection.