The Role of English in Shaping Postcolonial Indian Literary Identity:
The Language of Empowerment or Alienation
Dr.I.Gogul,T.Shanantha
1Assistant Professor, Dr.N.G.P Arts and Science
College,Coimbatore Email:gogul.blue@gmail.com
2Research Scholar, PSG College of Arts and Science
Email:shanantha27@gmail
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the dual role of English in
postcolonial Indian literature as both a tool of empowerment and a
source of alienation. While English provides Indian writers with
global visibility and creative opportunities—exemplified by Salman
Rushdie’s linguistic "chutnification" and Arundhati Roy’s hybrid
prose—it also perpetuates elitism and cultural displacement, as
critiqued by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Kamala Das. Drawing on
postcolonial theorists like Homi Bhabha and Braj Kachru, the study
analyzes how Indian authors negotiate the colonial legacy of
English, balancing its unifying potential against its exclusionary
effects. Through case studies of Rushdie, Roy, Kiran Desai, and
others, the paper reveals the tensions between linguistic
innovation, market demands, and vernacular authenticity, ultimately
framing Indian English literature as a contested "third space" of
identity formation. The discussion highlights the paradox of English
as a vehicle for both decolonization and neo-colonial dominance in
India’s literary landscape.
Keywords: Postcolonial literature, Indian English, linguistic
hybridity, cultural identity, decolonization, globalization
