Voices from the Margins: Representation of Colonial Trauma and Resistance in Postcolonial English Narratives
Abstract
Postcolonial literature has emerged as an important field of study that examines the cultural, psychological, and social consequences of colonial domination. Writers from formerly colonized societies have used literary narratives to represent the experiences of marginalized communities and to challenge colonial ideologies that historically silenced indigenous voices. These narratives frequently explore themes of trauma, displacement, identity conflict, and cultural resistance, reflecting the complex realities of societies shaped by colonial histories. The aim of this study is to analyze how colonial trauma and resistance are represented in selected postcolonial English narratives and how marginalized communities reclaim their voices through literary expression. The research particularly focuses on the ways in which literature portrays cultural displacement, identity fragmentation, psychological suffering, and the erosion of indigenous traditions while simultaneously highlighting acts of resistance and cultural empowerment.
The study adopts a qualitative research design based on textual and interpretive analysis of selected postcolonial novels, including Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie, Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, and The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Using postcolonial theoretical frameworks such as Orientalism, hybridity, and subaltern studies, the research examines how literary narratives challenge colonial discourse and foreground marginalized perspectives. The findings reveal that postcolonial literature not only documents the enduring impact of colonial trauma but also functions as a powerful form of cultural resistance by reclaiming suppressed histories and indigenous identities. This study contributes to postcolonial literary criticism by highlighting the interconnected relationship between trauma and resistance and emphasizing the role of literature in empowering marginalized voices and reshaping historical narratives.
How to Cite This Article
Christabel Gardner, Prajakta Uday Joshi (2020). Voices from the Margins: Representation of Colonial Trauma and Resistance in Postcolonial English Narratives . International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Growth Evaluation (IJMRGE), 1(5), 785-794. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54660/IJMRGE.2020.1.5.785-794
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