Decolonizing the Wild: Ecocritical Perspectives on Postcolonial Environmental Narratives

Authors: M.S. Gayathri Devi

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37082/IJIRMPS.v8.i6.232665

Short DOI: https://doi.org/g97bpt

Country: India

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Abstract: This article applies the tools of ecocriticism and postcolonial theory in relation to environmental stories from postcolonial places. Looking through a decolonizing perspective, the book inquiries into how literary depictions of nature, wilderness, inter-human relationships with environment have been informed by colonial histories of environmental thought and discourse. The research contends that postcolonial environmental narratives provide additional critical lenses through which to understand the aftermath of colonialism by reframing issues of sustainability, land tenure, and ecological stewardship. Through an examination of primordial, postcolonial literary texts from different continents, particularly South Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, the essay reveals how these defy stereotypical environmentalist approaches. The article also emphasises the significance of revitalising indigenous ecological knowledge systems and its influential power on reorientating environmental practices and policy. Drawing on ecocritical analysis, it highlights the need for an undermining decolonial environmentalism that is non-Western centric and centres the voices and experiences of subalterns.

Keywords: Ecocriticism, Postcolonialism, Environmental Narratives, Decolonization, Indigenous Knowledge

Paper Id: 232665

Published On: 2020-12-05

Published In: Volume 8, Issue 6, November-December 2020

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