Postcolonial Identity in the Novels of Salman Rushdie

Authors

  • Prof. Rajesh Kumar Goswami

Abstract

    Salman Rushdie, one of the most prominent voices in postcolonial literature, explores complex issues of identity, displacement, memory, and hybridity in his novels. His works reflect the challenges of reconciling colonial legacies with contemporary identity in multicultural and diasporic contexts. This paper examines the construction and deconstruction of postcolonial identity in select novels by Rushdie, including Midnight’s Children, The Satanic Verses, Shame, and The Moor’s Last Sigh. Through postcolonial theories of hybridity, mimicry, fragmentation, and resistance, the study elucidates how Rushdie’s narrative techniques challenge colonial epistemologies and reshape notions of national, religious, and individual identities. The analysis demonstrates how Rushdie uses magical realism, linguistic innovation, and historical revisionism to portray the multiplicity and fluidity of postcolonial identity.

Keywords- Salman Rushdie, postcolonial identity, hybridity, diaspora, magical realism, fragmentation, Midnight’s Children, The Satanic Verses, mimicry, cultural displacement

Additional Files

Published

31-01-2022

How to Cite

1.
Prof. Rajesh Kumar Goswami. Postcolonial Identity in the Novels of Salman Rushdie. IJARMS [Internet]. 2022 Jan. 31 [cited 2025 Aug. 11];5(1):261-9. Available from: https://journal.ijarms.org/index.php/ijarms/article/view/756

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Articles