A Postcolonial reading of The Inheritance of loss by Kiran Desai from the perspective of Homi Bhabha

One of the key concerns in post-colonial literature is the dilemma of displacement and its consequences. Uprooting from one’s own culture and land and the sequel of re-rooting in a strange land are depicted in many post-colonial works. This thesis is an attempt to discuss about Post-colonial dilemmas faced by the characters in Kiran Desai’s novel The Inheritance of Loss. (۲۰۰۶). It seems that they often captured in alienated identity and seek a way to regain theiridentity. In other words, both Western and Eastern immigrants go through the constant psychological endeavor to construct a new identity in dislocated place whether in America or in India. They are always in a quest to overcome the vacuum feeling which is the result of diasporic dislocation. This study attempts to explore the acknowledged Indian critic Homi Bhabha`s influential theories and ideas such as Diaspora, Hybridity, Mimicry in post-colonial literature,and argue about their relevance for interpretation of the selected novel.

Keywords:

Postcolonial studies , Displacement , Diaspora , Mimicry , Identity