Dalit Hindi Fiction and Negotiation of Identity: A Quest for Assimilation and Self Assertion
Abstract
Unlike other marginalized literary traditions, such as feminist, Black, and First Nations literatures, Dalit Hindi fiction continues to struggle for visibility, often being subsumed within mainstream discourse or subjected to reductive representations. This dissertation examines the evolution of Dalit Hindi fiction and its negotiation of identity through the intertwined processes of assimilation and self-assertion. It explores how contemporary Dalit literature challenges the dominant upper-caste gaze and the conventional trauma-centric framework by resisting hegemonic narratives and reconfiguring the Hindi literary canon.
Focusing on a critical analysis of Ajay Navaria’s Udhar Ke Log, Jayprakash Kardam’s Chappar, Jagdish Chandar’s Dharti Dhan Na Apna, and Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable, the research interrogates the politics of representation, the role of non-Dalit writers, and the extent to which Dalit authors assert narrative autonomy. Furthermore, it examines the cinematic portrayal of Dalit identities in Aarakshan (2011), Article 15 (2019), and Masaan (2015) to assess whether these visual narratives reinforce or disrupt dominant ideological structures.
The study also engages with key questions concerning the ability of Dalit literature and cinema to challenge or reproduce entrenched stereotypes, while examining the strategies employed by Dalit writers to negotiate their position within the broader literary landscape, and the ways in which these narratives contribute to the redefinition of Dalit identity. By situating Dalit Hindi fiction within the larger framework of comparative analysis, this dissertation foregrounds its distinct mechanisms of resistance, self-representation, and literary intervention.
Emphasizing the agency of Dalit writers, the study contends that Dalit Hindi fiction serves not only as a site of contestation but also as a powerful medium of assertion, actively reshaping the contours of Indian literary discourse. Finally, it suggests that Dalit literature successfully navigates the complex tension between assimilation into the dominant socio-cultural framework and the affirmation of an autonomous Dalit identity, offering a critical re-articulation of power, representation, and literary tradition.