Volume V Special Issue IV October 2025

Name of Author : Sruthi. S, Dr. V. Karpagavadivu

Title of the paper : Memory, Migration, and Cultural Continuity in Joanne Harriss Peaches for Monsieur le Curé

Abstract: This paper explores the role of cultural memory in shaping identity, belonging, and conflict in Joanne Harriss Peaches for Monsieur le Curé. Through the lens of Aleida Assmanns theory of cultural memory, this study examines how memories of Morocco are preserved and transmitted through everyday practices, including food preparation, traditional clothing, and ritual observance. These elements serve as powerful markers of identity for the North African Muslim community in Lansquenet sous Tannes, particularly among women, who act as key custodians of memory within both domestic and communal spaces. The novel foregrounds the tensions between remembrance and adaptation. It reveals how cultural memory becomes a double edged force, offering comfort and cohesion on one hand, while fostering resistance and division on the other. Through the motif of sensory memory, particularly the evocative use of food to illustrate how the past remains alive and influential, shaping not only individual identity but also the broader social dynamics of the community. Ultimately, this paper argues that Peaches for Monsieur le Curé presents cultural memory as both a site of continuity and a catalyst for transformation within the migrant experience.

Keywords : Aleida Assmann, Cultural memory, Migration, Identity, Food and Memory.

DOI :

Page Number : 240-244