Negotiating the Self in the Socio political milieu exploration of Afghan Experiences in the Narratives of Khaled Hosseini and Atiq Rahimi

Abstract

The research titled Negotiating the Selfand#8223; in the Socio-Political Milieu: newlineExploration of Afghan Experiences in the Narratives of Khaled Hosseini and Atiq newlineRahimi investigates the personal experiences of the Afghans amidst socio-political newlinepandemonium in Afghanistan from the 1970s to the present with reference to the newlinefictional writings of two Afghan diaspora writers, Khaled Hosseini and Atiq Rahimi. newlineAfghanistan has been atrophied by a number of external and internal sociopolitical newlineinvasions. The ulterior motives of the several regimes, such as, the Soviets, the newlineMujahideen, the Taliban and the Americans have contributed in having a devastating newlineimpact on the ill-fated Afghans. Both Khaled Hosseini and Atiq Rahimi have focussed newlineon the individual experiences against the backdrop of multiple wars and socially rigid newlinecultural taboos of Afghanistan in their literary writings. This extensive study engages in newlinea comparative analysis of the narratives of both the authors. The study of Afghan newlineliterature becomes crucial in a situation where the socio-political cataclysms still affect newlinethe Afghans immensely. newlineThe narratives that have been chosen for this research are Khaled Hosseiniand#8223;s The newlineKite Runner (2003), A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007), And the Mountains Echoed newline(2013) and Atiq Rahimiand#8223;s Earth and Ashes (1999), A Thousand Rooms of Dream and newlineFear (2006), The Patience Stone (2007), and A Curse on Dostoevsky (2013). Keeping newlinethe real historical episodes in the background, the writers have placed various characters newlinebelonging to different ethnicity, class, race, gender in different positions. The study newlineexplores the traumatic experiences suffered by children, men and women in the conflict newlinezones. It examines the role of religion in determining oneand#8223;s identity and also how newlinereligion is used to perpetrate violence in the already troubled land. The study explores newlinein depth the multi-dimensional approaches related to gender. It delineates the various newlinestrategies used by the Afghans for the sake of mere survival amidst political newlinevi newlineintimidations