Analyzing the Portrayal of Indigenous Culture and Language in Uzma Aslam Khan’s The Geometry of God

Abstract

This research explores the indigenous culture and language in The Geometry of God, by Uzma Aslam Khan. The novel takes place in northern Pakistan and examines the intricate dynamics among the various communities of the region. Within the context of post-colonial theory, this research analyzes the novel’s embodiment of the consequences of colonization on indigenous people’s cultures and languages, and how the characters in the novel manage the conflicts of the old and the new. Based upon the in-depth analysis of the narrative, this research articulates that in The Geometry of God, marginalization of culture and language of the indigenous people’s communities is a backlash to the prevailing hegemony of such discourse. The novel’s narrative preserves and documents the cultural and linguistic heritages of the people’s communities of the region, which are of great significance for the social, political, and environmental sustainability of the region. The research examines the complexities of narrative structures of the novel in representing the complexity of the indigenous communities and the resistance to oversimplified and exotic stereotypes of indigenous people. This research contribute to the use of literature as a tool of indigenous advocacy by addressing the gaps in literature and offering a more complex analysis of dominant assumptions on the indigenous communities.

Keywords: Indigenous culture, Cultural identity, Linguistic heritage, Postcolonial Pakistani fiction, Marginalized voices.