RE-ORIENTING REPRESENTATION: NEGOTIATING IDENTITY AND STEREOTYPES IN PAKISTANI ANGLOPHONE FICTION

Abstract

This article examines how Pakistani Anglophone fiction re-Orients representations of identity and challenges stereotypes within a postcolonial framework, focusing on selected novels The Diary of a Social Butterfly (2008) by Moni Mohsin, Thinner Than Skin (2012) by Uzma Aslam Khan, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (2013) by Mohsin Hamid, Revolt (2013) by Qaisra Shahraz, City of Spies (2015) by Sorayya Khan, Home Fire (2017) by Kamila Shamsie, The Golden Legend (2017) by Nadeem Aslam, Before She Sleeps (2018) by Bina Shah, Red Birds (2018) by Mohammad Hanif, and Unmarriageable (2019) by Sonia Kamal. This study examines how the texts manage the local-tradition versus global-modernity conflict through their challenge of Orientalist and re-Orientalist frameworks using postcolonial theories from Edward Said, Homi K. Bhabha, Gayatri Spivak and Lisa Lau's re-Orientalism framework. This research examines how marginalised voices including both women and minority groups are projected through their storeys while dealing with Pakistan's diverse sociopolitical issues regarding gender, class and religious identities. Mohsin uses satire to criticise elite class power structures in his work while Shah presents a dystopian world that challenges male control of female bodies. These writers create narratives about religious minority lifestyles to show how diasporic life persists because of enduring British colonial influence and worldwide external forces. The article bridges up the gaps that researchers have not thoroughly examined re-Orientalism nor the impact of global writing markets on Pakistani authors. Through their novels the authors empower othered communities and counter cultural stereotypes that help rejuvenate Pakistan’s modern identity. The research reveals new findings about postcolonial studies while analyzing how Pakistani Anglophone literature transforms cultural representations while building better global insights regarding identity processes and supporting various Pakistani literary viewpoints.

Keywords: Postcolonialism, Representation, Identity, Stereotypes, Re-Orientalism, Hybridity.