POSTCOLONIAL DYNAMICS in SOUTH ASIAN LITERATURE International Journal of Research Volume VIII, Issue I, January/2019 ISSN NO:223
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International Journal of Research ISSN NO:2236-6124 POSTCOLONIAL DYNAMICS IN SOUTH ASIAN LITERATURE D.RAJANI DEIVASAHAYAM Associate Professor in English Ch. S. D. St. Theresa’s Autonomous College for Women, ELURU email: [email protected] ABSTRACT The term ‘South Asian English literature’ refers to the English language in use in the South Asian region that geographically includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, The Maldives and Sri Lanka. The English language enjoys a substantial place in this region primarily because of its wide spread functions in significant domains of social life, education, and cross- cultural communication. Since these regions have certain collective privileges like multilingualism and multiculturalism, they have a collective expression of colonization by the same colonizer, that is, the British. They belong and share the same historical tradition that has shaped a unified collective perspective and psychology. Postcolonial studies investigates various power relations in various contexts: the formation of empire, the impact of colonization on postcolonial history, economy, science and culture, feminism and post colonialism, agency for marginalized people, and the state of colonization in contemporary economic and cultural contexts and the likes. It mainly focuses on the persistence of colonial forms of power in contemporary world politics, especially how the social construction of racial, gendered and class differences uphold relations of power and subordination. Since Feminism and postcolonialism have both been concerned with language because of its use as a weapon to subvert patriarchal and colonial authority, an attempt has been made to make a study of the postcolonial concept in the literatures of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Though all these literatures are ‘colonial’ texts, my focus is not just on the subjugation of the colonized but on the way their resistance make the colonizer comprehends the hitherto smothered voices. Key words: postcolonialism, feminism, subjugation, marginality, raised voices, Introduction: The term ‘South Asian English literature’ refers to the English language in use in the South Asian region that geographically includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, The Maldives and Sri Lanka. The English language enjoys a substantial place in this region primarily because of its wide spread functions in significant domains of social life, education, and cross- cultural communication. In the entire region, English is perceived as alanguage of power and a means of economy uplift and upward social mobility. Since English serves as a link language among the people of different regions within South Asia, English is viewed as an asset in the form of international language representing cross-cultural communication and collective Volume VIII, Issue I, January/2019 Page No:392 International Journal of Research ISSN NO:2236-6124 development. Since these regions have certain collective privileges like multilingualism and multiculturalism, they have a collective expression of colonization by the same colonizer, that is the British. They belong and share the same historical tradition that has shaped a unified collective perspective and psychology. As there are multiple varieties of Englishes within the South Asian regions, they make the readers understand the social, cultural, historical, and political contexts in nativising the language. Though South Asian region is mainly bilingual, there are many authors whose literary representations are constructed only in English in spite of English being their second or third language. Postcolonialism is the study of the interactions between European nations and the societies they had colonized in the modern period for several centuries. The sheer extent and duration of the empire and its disintegration after the Second World War have led to wide spread interest in the postcolonial literature and criticism in our times. Thus the term ‘postcolonial’ covers all the cultures affected by the imperial process from the moment of colonization to the present day and is concerned with the world as it exists during and after the period of European imperial domination and the effects of this on contemporary literatures. Postcolonial studies investigates various power relations in various contexts: the formation of empire, the impact of colonization on postcolonial history, economy, science and culture, the cultural productions of colonized societies, feminism and post colonialism, the marginalizationof the colonized in contemporary economic and cultural contexts. It mainly focuses on the persistence of colonial forms of power in contemporary social, economical and political worlds. It addresses issues like identity, gender, race and ethnicity: the challenge of developing a national identity in the wake of colonial rule, the ways in which knowledge of colonized people has served the interests of colonizers, and how knowledge about the world is produced under specific power relations repetitively circulated and finally legitimated to serve certain interests. Postcolonial theory is built around the concept of oppression and resistance which can carry with it ideas about freedom, liberty, identity, individuality etc. One of the most significant terms in postcolonial studies ‘Hybridity’ emerges as an important concept that refers to the integration of cultural signs and practices from the colonizing and the colonized cultures. The assimilation and adaptation of cultural practices, the cross-fertilization of cultures can be seen as positive, enriching, and dynamic, as well as oppressive. The postcolonial crisis of identity concerns with the recovery of an effective identifying relationship between self and place which is eroded by dislocation, resulting from migration, transportation, or voluntary removal for indentured labour. The word ‘Diaspora’ also cannot be separated from the colonized as it was a historical condition that led to the displacement of people across the world under different circumstances. Consequently, the culture produced by diaspora contains many resonances of the movement, the imagination of Volume VIII, Issue I, January/2019 Page No:393 International Journal of Research ISSN NO:2236-6124 their homelands, sense of tradition, the circumstances that led to their migration, and their reaction to the places they currently live. The descendants of the diasporic movements generated by colonialism have developed their own distinctive cultures which both preserve and develop their original cultures. They suffer from displacement and it often creates a setting that results in the migration of large numbers of people, either within the colonies or from them to the imperial centre and the literature of this age focuses on the experiences of racism and hostility, sense of rootlessness and search for identity which results from displacement and cultural diversity. It refers to both physical and emotional displacement. The writers of Commonwealth Literature focus on these issues and South Asian Literature is a part of it. Though the writers belong to different nations and cultures, their ideologies are the same and their presentation of the themes reflects the societies they live in and heard of. Many women writers who live in strong patriarchal set uphaving ability to write and communicate represent power and draw relationship between postcolonialism and feminism. They have noted that since colonial language is English, literature written in English has often been used to marginalize and constrain female viewpoints. Feminism and postcolonialismhave both been concerned with language because of its use as a weapon to subvert patriarchal and colonial powers. These postcolonial feminists believe that oppressions related to colonial experience, especially racial, class and ethnic have marginalized women in postcolonial societies. They challenge the assumption that gender oppression is the primary force of patriarchy. But the western and postcolonial feminists differ on a certain view point. The postcolonial feminists object to the perceived notion of the western women as active and empowered and postcolonial women as passive and voiceless victims. Both feminist and postcolonial theories are critiques of domination due to their examination of the raised voice, the position of the subaltern in the society, their domination by the male and their struggles against such suppression. Commonwealth writers present how patriarchal power, cultural imperialism, and geographical colonization victimize people and disconnect them from their language, history and culture and how desperately they struggle to rediscover, to regain and reclaim their identity. Now for the past few decades there has been tremendous growth in the literature produced by the non-English speakers in the Commonwealth countries, especially in the South Asian region; to be precise in the Indian sub-continent. South Asia emanates from the great Indian sub-continent and comprises India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal and Afghanistan who have deep rooted connection through a shared history and culture. The experience of sharing a history and culture that is common, yet utterly personal, makes the literature of the region unique. It provides the South Asians a common basis for understanding their position in the contemporary world. Critics of South Asian Literature mostly focus on religion, region and nationality within South Asia and the impact of western