The Politics of Canons, Identity and Representation: A Study of the Counter Canonical Discourse Strategies in Arundhati Roy’s Novel the Ministry of Utmost Happiness

Abstract

This study is an attempt to investigate the widespread diffusion of the dominant western canonical practices embedded in the western discourses, which simultaneously, entail the counter canonical practices in terms of the ambivalence, language, representation, identity and culture in the postcolonial narratives. This study primarily bases on Arundhati Roy’(Henceforth, on ward Roy) novel ‘The ministry of utmost Happiness’ (MOUH, Henceforth on ward) how does She deconstruct the western dominant discourses, but simultaneously install the counter narratives in the context of the irreducible complex lived experiences of the linguistic and cultural hybridity. The research methodology of the study is to identify and to analyze the selected counter canonical strategies inducted by Roy in the novel MOUH in the context of the deconstructionst and postcolonial discourse perspective. In addition, the study also analyzes the identified texts in the framework of the multi canons and pluralistic perspective. Similarly, the polemical concern of the western canonical practices and Counter discursive strategies are still engaging the perennial and irresolvable debate among the critical literary theorists,cultural theorists, modern linguists and postcolonial discourse critics in the academic landscape across the globe. Accordingly, the study sums up that the counter discursive strategies deployed by Arundhati Roy in MOUH are also, trustworthy, pragmatic and authentic in terms of the western canonicity. In addition, the study concludes that the counter canonical strategies deployed by Arundhati Roy in her novel foreground the subtle issues of identity, language, culture and literary norms; which are also realistic and authentic on the bases of sameness but with difference.