National and individual Muslim Trauma. The collision of Islam and American neocapitalist thinking in Nadeem Aslams "The Blind Man's Garden"

Wissenschaftlicher Aufsatz , 2020 , 58 Seiten

Anglistik - Literatur

‘South Asian literature’ is a literary term closely connected to countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives or Bangladesh. Afghanistan here holds an outside position because of the fact that Afghan writers at home face an extremely difficult situation. So it is mostly the exile position from which they write about their country. Afghanistan nevertheless is often picked by migrant writers as a setting of their novels because it is ideal to reflect the 9/11 development for both character development or plot. It is therefore logical that this country is not only a neglected part of South Asian literature it is also hardly mentioned by critics. It is simply speaking difficult to label Afghan writing as 'colonial' or 'neo-colonial writing'.

Many Muslim writers sometimes make use of female characters as being central parts for the narrative it is interesting to note that the female presentation plays a marginal role in history making or in the sense of ordering and interpreting past and present thus theorizing matters in general. However, growing female issues in many novels such as oppression, prostitution, rape, domestic violence or birth control slowly seem to change the traditional female role as being inferior to man. This present trend is not only seen by feminist anthropologists, Western radical feminists or gender studies but also more and more by writers from both sexes. Thus, matters like patriarchy, culture, class, religion or nation are newly discussed making ‘South Asian Literature’ an extremely energetic field of contemporary migrant writing. They fulfill that what other critics see in three areas while reading postcolonial contexts.

The first area they reflect is "reading texts produced by writers from countries with a history of colonies". The second element they discuss lies in the fact they write texts "produced by those that have migrated from countries with a history of colonialism, or those descended from migrant families". And the last area they cover lies in the fact that they are "re-reading texts produced during colonialism ... addressing the imperial experience or not". So one can conclude from this that ‘South Asian literature’ has become not only one important element of ‘Postcolonial writing’ it also includes many political aspects which are of importance for this essay.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• I. Introduction
• II. Pakistani Fiction - background information
• III. 'Pakistani Fiction' and 'Postcolonial Writing'
• IV. Parameters for 'Pakistani Writing'
• a) Gender
• b) Diaspora
• c) Globalization
• V. Muslim writing and the terror attacks of September 11/2001
• VI. The influence of the 9/11 novels on Muslim Writing
• VII. The Blind Man's Garden - a close analysis
• VIII. The concept of nation and neocapitalist thinking and their incorporation in The Blind Man's Garden
• IX. Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This article examines the intersection of Islam and American neocapitalist thinking in Nadeem Aslam's novel "The Blind Man's Garden" (2013) through the lens of Muslim trauma. The article analyzes the representation of individual and national Muslim trauma in the novel and explores how this trauma is shaped by the collision of these two ideologies.

• The relationship between Islam and American neocapitalism
• The representation of Muslim trauma in literature
• The role of gender in Pakistani literature
• The impact of the September 11 attacks on Muslim writing
• The significance of the concept of nation in contemporary South Asian literature

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• Introduction: This chapter introduces the concept of 'South Asian literature' and its connection to countries like India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. It explores the challenges faced by Afghan writers, particularly female novelists, in their own country and how they often use exile as a platform to write about Afghanistan. The chapter also highlights the significant role of Islam in shaping the setting, character development, and plot of many South Asian novels, including those by Muslim writers.
• Pakistani Fiction - background information: This chapter provides background information on Pakistani fiction, exploring its historical context and development. It discusses the role of colonialism in shaping Pakistani literary traditions and the emergence of a distinct national identity in Pakistani writing.
• 'Pakistani Fiction' and 'Postcolonial Writing': This chapter examines the relationship between Pakistani fiction and postcolonial writing. It explores how Pakistani writers engage with the themes of colonialism, postcolonialism, and globalization in their work, analyzing the ways in which these themes intersect with the lived experiences of Pakistani individuals and communities.
• Parameters for 'Pakistani Writing': This chapter delves into specific parameters that define Pakistani writing, focusing on the themes of gender, diaspora, and globalization. It examines how these themes are explored in contemporary Pakistani novels, highlighting the challenges faced by Pakistani writers in navigating these complex issues.
• Muslim writing and the terror attacks of September 11/2001: This chapter analyzes the impact of the September 11 attacks on Muslim writing. It explores how Muslim writers have responded to the events of 9/11, examining the themes of trauma, Islamophobia, and political violence in their work.
• The influence of the 9/11 novels on Muslim Writing: This chapter investigates the specific influence of 9/11 novels on Muslim writing. It examines how these novels have shaped the literary landscape of Muslim writing and explored the ways in which Muslim writers are grappling with the legacy of 9/11 in their work.
• The Blind Man's Garden - a close analysis: This chapter presents a close analysis of "The Blind Man's Garden," examining its themes, characters, and narrative structure. It analyzes how the novel explores the collision of Islam and American neocapitalist thinking and its impact on Muslim individuals and communities.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This article focuses on the keywords and concepts of Muslim trauma, Islam, neocapitalism, Pakistani fiction, postcolonial writing, gender, diaspora, globalization, September 11 attacks, and the novel "The Blind Man's Garden" by Nadeem Aslam. These key themes and concepts offer insights into the intersection of Islamic and American ideologies within the context of contemporary South Asian literature, as reflected in the experiences of Muslim individuals and communities.

• Hochschule: Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave
• Autor: Dr. Matthias Dickert (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2020
• Seiten: 58
• Katalognummer: V520664
• ISBN (eBook): 9783346122698
• ISBN (Buch): 9783346122704
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: Postcolonial writing, Pakistani writing, neocapitalist thinking, The Blind Man's Garden