Decolonizing the Mind: A Study of Contemporary Indian English Novels
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Keywords:
Contemporary Indian English novels, Post-colonialism, Decolonial theory, Linguistic hybridity, Eurocentric culture, OrientalismAbstract
This research paper explores how contemporary Indian English novels contribute to the process of decolonizing the Indian psyche by dismantling colonial narratives and reclaiming indigenous epistemologies. Drawing upon the critical frameworks of postcolonial and decolonial theory, it engages with the works of authors such as Amitav Ghosh, Arundhati Roy, Aravind Adiga, Kiran Desai and Jeet Thayil. The paper investigates how these writers utilize narrative strategies—including linguistic hybridity, historical reconstruction, and formal innovation—to resist Eurocentric cultural dominance and to revive and revalidate local cultural, historical, and linguistic traditions. By analyzing the intersection of literature, memory, and power, this study argues that contemporary Indian English fiction acts as a significant site of epistemic resistance and cultural reclamation in the postcolonial context.
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