Questioning of Nationalist Historiography in Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide
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Authors
Joshi, Chet Raj
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Department of English
Abstract
This research, based on Amitav Ghosh’s novel The Hungry Tide, explores the
marginalization of peasant culture and the history of rebellion in Indian ‘nationalist’
historiography. Ghosh chronicles the gauged voice of refugees and peasants of
Sundarban area, the victims of partition in West Bengal. Nilima, Nirmal and Kanai
represent the social activists and visionaries of modern India whereas Fokir, Kusum
and other settlers of Morichjhapi are illiterate rural peasants. The attempt of central
government to flush these organized settlers from their settlement stands for the
reluctance of Indian nationalist politics to recognize the alternative voice of these
peasants. Moreover, this research is the analysis of how through the decades Indian
nationalist history has attempted to reject the voice of illiterate local peasants as their
own
Description
Keywords
Literary criticism, Indian historiography, Indian nationalism