THE INTERNALIZATION OF WESTERN HEGEMONY IN THE INHERITANCE OF LOSS (2006) BY KIRAN DESAI: A POSTCOLONIAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

This article examines the internalization of Western hegemony in Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss(2006) through a postcolonial lens focusing on Homi K. Bhabha’s notions of hybridity, third space, mimicry and ambivalence. The novel explores the aftermath of Colonial rule and its effect on characters such as Jemubhai Patel, Sai and Biju. Through these characters Desai illustrates how colonized people adopt Western norms and ideology leading to third space that brings cultural alienation and identity crisis that is neither western nor the native culture. The study employs qualitative approach that provides a closed textual analysis to investigate language, institutions and economic structures, reinforcing the Western dominance over marginalized societies. Bhabha's theory of mimicry reveals how colonized people desire the life of colonizers and adopt their norms that create ambivalence. This research study deconstructs the themes of colonial legacy and internalization of Western dominance, that contribute to postcolonial literary criticism. This study discusses the powerful critique of Western dominance by highlighting the struggle of colonized people who remain trapped by the colonizers.