Unstable Homes, Unstable Lives: A Psychogeographic Exploration of Gentrification in Awais Khan’s In the Company of Strangers

الملخص

Spaces are never neutral; they actively shape an individual’s consciousness. In the wake of gentrification, these spaces become sites of exclusion, moral decay, and profound loss, where individuals struggle to maintain their sense of self amid shifting social and spatial orders. This article examines Awais Khan’s In the Company of Strangers (2019) through the intersecting lenses of Guy Debord’s concept of psychogeography and Sharon Zukin’s theory of gentrification to explore how urban spatial transformation in Lahore disrupts the psychological and moral integrity of the character(s). The study argues that gentrified spaces are not merely physical constructs but also psychogeographic forces that shape consciousness, manipulate desire, and erode individual agency. The research employs textual analysis, and looks into how Khan uses figurative language, spatial metaphors, visual motifs, and irony to depict the city as both seductive and alienating. Ali’s journey shows how gentrified spaces, built to serve the rich, lead the poor into confusion and loss. Drawn by false hopes of a better life, he becomes trapped in a city that controls his choices and slowly breaks down his sense of self. Moreover, this article argues that Khan’s portrayal of Lahore transforms the city into a symbolic landscape, where gentrification operates as psychological violence and leads to Ali’s tragic unravelling and eventual death.