Exile of Freedom: The Nation-State and Exile in Linda Lê's Slander

Focusing on the idea of the homeland as a central aspect of exile and using Linda Lê's novel Slander as an entry point, this essay argues that exile often functions as a continuation of the original place, which remains under the control of a nation-state that is necessarily exclusive and constraining. By highlighting these constraints, this essay reimagines exile as a marginal position that could work to destabilize the false homogeneity of the nation-state and a space for the practice of radical freedom.