Political Discourse in Kiran Desai’s ‘The Inheritance of Loss’: A Postcolonial Perspective

Nuzhat F. Rizvi

2023

Abstract

Postcolonial studies offer compelling perspectives to its creative processes, approaches and literary reception in the literature of countries and provinces, once under colonial rule. Many past approaches for the analysis of literature were less pronounced or completely bereft of a political voice. Kiran Desai in “The Inheritance of Loss” explores the small town of Kalimpong, in the period of turmoil due to the GNLF movement and then explores how a quiet and laid back town suddenly becomes a hotspot of violence, propelled by dissatisfaction that was slowly gathering momentum over the past few decades. The novel reconnoiters with understanding and discernment almost every current global issues like globalization, multiculturalism, financial disparity, racism, fundamentalism and violence. Although a conglomeration of various overlapping issues and themes the striking one is the Gorkhaland movement.; Nevertheless, it appears that the novelist has not taken either an ethical or moral stand on the issue of the Gorkhaland. It has been used as a mere back drop for her narrative. It seems that she did not want to take a political stand or rather her identity and socio-political beliefs are camouflaged.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Rizvi N. (2023). Political Discourse in Kiran Desai’s ‘The Inheritance of Loss’: A Postcolonial Perspective. In Proceedings of the 1st Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies - Volume 1: PAMIR; ISBN 978-989-758-687-3, SciTePress, pages 538-541. DOI: 10.5220/0012493100003792

in Bibtex Style

@conference{pamir23,
author={Nuzhat F. Rizvi},
title={Political Discourse in Kiran Desai’s ‘The Inheritance of Loss’: A Postcolonial Perspective},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 1st Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies - Volume 1: PAMIR},
year={2023},
pages={538-541},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0012493100003792},
isbn={978-989-758-687-3},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 1st Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies - Volume 1: PAMIR
TI - Political Discourse in Kiran Desai’s ‘The Inheritance of Loss’: A Postcolonial Perspective
SN - 978-989-758-687-3
AU - Rizvi N.
PY - 2023
SP - 538
EP - 541
DO - 10.5220/0012493100003792
PB - SciTePress