Author-Activism: Philosophy of Dissent in the Writings of Arundhati Roy

Authors

  • Naman Mody, Ohio State University, USA
  • Arnapurna Rath, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31436/asiatic.v7i1.383

Abstract

In this paper our analysis focuses on theorising “dissent†as a philosophical-political “moment†and studying the voice of “dissent†through the writings of Arundhati Roy. We argue through a close reading of Roy’s texts that dissent is intrinsic to human thoughts and dialogues. Taking our cue from Robert Barsky’s study of Noam Chomsky’s life as a “life of dissent†and from Brian Martin’s paper “Advice for the Dissident Scholar,†in Thought and Action, Vol. 14, we argue that the term dissent is set in a complex interplay of multiple subjectivities. A dissenting voice is looked upon as a voice that goes against, rather than with the established norms of the society, and in extreme cases, is fiercely opposed. Taking these theoretical premises further into apraxical mode, we analyse Arundhati Roy’s non-fictional works, and bring out the element of dissent, which is implicitly present in each of her essays. Roy’s dissent, mainly political in nature, usually takes the form of scathing criticism – the expression of which is fearless and forthright. Our interpretation of Roy’s works is in connection with the impact and the substantiality of her dissent.

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Author Biographies

Naman Mody, Ohio State University, USA

Naman Mody is pursuing a Master's degree in Computer Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University, USA. He is interested in Queer theory, Foucauldian ideas of power, the role of dissent in society, Data Analytics and Machine Learning in Computer Science.

Arnapurna Rath, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, India

Dr. Arnapurna Rath is working as Assistant Professor in Humanities at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar. She worked on the fiction of Amitav Ghosh and theories of Mikhail Bakhtin for her doctoral research at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. Her current research interests are in contemporary South Asian literature, narratives, classical studies and literary-philosophical theories. Arnapurna writes a blog “Iris†under the pseudonym Anne de Plume.

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Published

2013-06-15

How to Cite

Mody, Ohio State University, USA, N., & Rath, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, India, A. (2013). Author-Activism: Philosophy of Dissent in the Writings of Arundhati Roy. Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language and Literature, 7(1), 56–72. https://doi.org/10.31436/asiatic.v7i1.383

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