Abstract
While the concept of transnationalism may primarily give a perspective on the processes accompanying individuals who are border-crossing between sovereign states and nations, it can also aid us in the discussion of "migrants," who move across different borders while staying within the boundary of a particular state. The definition of a border then may change as it seizes to be only a physical one but also a historical or psychological one, as is the case of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom.
Although we are talking about one country, the residents on the islands may differentiate themselves or be differentiated by others when they move from one place to another. An example of the difficult position of people moving specifically from Northern Ireland to the UK can be found in Nick Laird's novel Utterly Monkey (2005), which portrays several characters, all travelling for different reasons to London from a small village, Ballyglass.
The paper aims to look at the motivations and experiences of these characters through the move as well as at the communities they depart from and arrive to, and at the intercultural communication depicted. Is there a border that they need to cross and if yes, what kind? What is the aim of portraying these journeying characters in the novel? What are the effects following their relocation and dislocation? This paper will thus ask whether we can approach the novel through the lens of transnationalism and what issues subsequently arise.
What border is retained between these two places and what kind of sovereignty does Northern Ireland have within the United Kingdom based on Laird's novel in comparison with other texts?