2019, Vol. 1, Issue 2, Part C

Author(s): Samina Khan

Abstract: The exploration and celebration of cultural diversity serves as a critical response to Eurocentric universalism and colonial hegemony. Frantz Fanon, in Black Skin, White Masks (2008) and The Wretched of the Earth (2005), argues that decolonisation requires the colonised to reclaim their past and challenge the colonialist ideologies that systematically devalue indigenous traditions. This process involves rejecting the coloniser's civilising mission while reasserting cultural identity through literary resistance. Khushwant Singh's Train to Pakistan (1956) exemplifies this postcolonial project by foregrounding India's cultural plurality during the traumatic Partition period. This paper examines how Singh's novel celebrates indigenous culture while critically engaging with the political consciousness of rural communities confronting historical upheaval. Through a postcolonial lens incorporating Fanon's theories of cultural resistance, Homi Bhabha's concepts of hybridity and the "third space," and Edward Said's analysis of colonial discourse, this study analyses the representation of elite and subaltern groups within the political sphere, interrogating the enduring legacy of colonialism on India's socio-political fabric. The paper further explores the "Othering" of marginalised communities, contrasting it with elite dominance, while challenging the assumption that writing in the coloniser's language constitutes acquiescence to colonial structures. Singh's Indianization of English demonstrates linguistic resistance, marking a decisive shift from standard "Queen's English" toward cultural independence and postcolonial identity assertion.

DOI: 10.33545/27068919.2019.v1.i2c.1685

Pages: 275-280 | Views: 342 | Downloads: 213

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