Journal of Studies in Language, Culture and Society (JSLCS)

A Critical Analysis Of Identity Exertion In Indian Fiction: Narratives Of Belonging In A Globalised World

Auteurs : Kumar Dinesh . Mizab Manel . Attia Youcef .

Résumé

Questions of identity remain central to Indian literary production, where narratives interrogate the intersections of selfhood, cultural belonging, and socio-political positioning. This study advances the concept of identity exertion, defined as the conscious processes of assertion, negotiation, and resistance, as a critical lens for analyzing Indian fiction across colonial, postcolonial, and globalized contexts. While scholarship has examined hybridity, nationhood, and cultural representation, few studies have systematically foregrounded identity exertion as an analytical framework. Addressing this gap, the research investigates how selected works by Mulk Raj Anand (Untouchable), R.K. Narayan (The Guide), and Aravind Adiga (The White Tiger) dramatize identity formation through narrative strategies, character development, and thematic concerns. Methodologically, the paper employs qualitative textual analysis informed by postcolonial and cultural theories (Hall, Bhabha, Spivak, Said). The analysis is structured around three dimensions: resistance against systemic oppression (Anand), negotiation within cultural hybridity (Narayan), and assertion of agency in neoliberal globalization (Adiga). Thematic coding identifies recurring patterns of identity exertion, while interdisciplinary insights from sociology and cultural studies enhance interpretive depth. Reflexivity regarding positionality ensures methodological rigor. Findings reveal that Indian fiction functions as a cultural archive, chronicling diverse exertions of identity and amplifying marginalized voices. Anand situates resistance within caste hierarchies as collective praxis; Narayan dramatizes negotiation as a performative process shaped by hybridity and relational dynamics; Adiga foregrounds assertion as agency within global capitalism, exposing ethical compromises of self-fashioning in neoliberal India. Collectively, these texts demonstrate that identity in Indian fiction is continuously produced, contested, and transformed. The originality of this study lies in its systematic application of identity exertion as a triadic lens, offering new insights into how Indian literature contributes to broader debates on representation, resistance, and cultural politics. By positioning identity exertion as both literary and theoretical construct, the paper underscores Indian fiction’s role in shaping discourses of belonging, agency, and transformation.

Mots clés

Identity exertion; Indian fiction; postcolonial literature; resistance; negotiation; assertion; representation; globalization