Abstract: “Heimat” encompasses cultural and ideological connotations that are linked to concepts such as “belonging” and “identity” and to the emotional engagement with a particular space. The present paper analyses from a comparative perspective the representation of homeland in the novels ‘Nirgendwo in Afrika’ (1995) by the German writer Stefanie Zweig and ‘Das Erbe’ (1997) (Arabic: ‘al-Mirath’) by the Arab-Palestinian Writer Sahar Khalifa. Both writers present an image of homeland that is based on familiarity, belonging and community-building. In this context, the present article discusses two questions: How do emotions mould the narrative representation of homeland? And to what extent does homeland function as a space for social and cultural interactions in the two selected novels?

Keywords: Heimat, belonging, identity, fiction, Stefanie Zweig, Sahar Khalifa