Cosmopolitan Localism in Arundhati Roy's The Ministry of Utmost Happiness: A Decolonial Reading

Khosravi, Sareh; Marandi, Seyed Mohammad

doi:10.22034/ijpie.2024.484916.1057

Cosmopolitan Localism in Arundhati Roy's The Ministry of Utmost Happiness: A Decolonial Reading

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Sareh Khosravi ¹

Seyed Mohammad Marandi ²

¹ Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

² کارگر شمالی. روبروی خیابان هجده. مجتمع خوابگاهی فاطمیه

10.22034/ijpie.2024.484916.1057

Abstract

Drawing upon the theories of Walter D. Mignolo, a decolonial critic, this study argues that Arundhati Roy's The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017) embodies the concept of cosmopolitan localism which has been put forward against the Western version of cosmopolitanism proposed by Immanuel Kant. The novel depicts cosmopolitan localism by emphasizing on Mignolo’s concepts of the multiplication of nodes, active intervention of local cosmopolitan projects, and the reduction of Western cosmopolitanism to its own local history. By placing Delhi at the center of the world within the novel, Roy disrupts Western-centric perspectives and emphasizes the significance of local contexts. The novel engages in debates on global issues that, at the same time, detail specific local contexts within India to highlight the complex situations in regard to identity, politics, and social issues. Roy shows various characters and experiences in a way that deepens the multiplicity of their views, underlining agency and activism from the locality. The novel addresses global issues such as political unrest and environmental degradation, highlighting the interdependence of various movements and the necessity for collective action. The article concludes that by exploring a wide range of perspectives, intersectional identities, and local languages and cultures, Roy embraces pluriversality rather than universality embedded in Western cosmopolitan ideas.

Keywords

Cosmopolitan Localism

Decolonization

Pluriversality

Subjects

Literature and Education

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