Hegemony:

portrayals and mechanics in select works of Bama, Bandhu Madhav, T.S. Pillai, G. Karnad, Perumal Murugan and Mahesh Dattani

Abstract

The hegemonic event in the neo-colonial present day, notably in the formerly heavily colonised parts of South Asia, especially India, is nearly invisible to the untrained eye and hence difficult to recognise and address. However, the ramifications of this phenomenon still remain very much relevant. The native literature from the unique subaltern constituency of India exhibits ample documentation of hegemonic episodes and their operating channels including casteism, misogyny, institutional hegemony and transphobia. This study, by means of examination and analysis of the documentation of their episodes in literature, aims to inquire into the mechanics of hegemonic channels. The works covered in the paper are Bandhu Madhav’s Poisoned Bread, Bama's Karukku,  T.S. Pillai’s Chemmeen, Girish Karnad’s Nagamandala, Perumal Murugan’s Poonachi and Mahesh Dattani’s Seven Steps Around The Fire. This paper will be classified based on hegemonic channels followed by the analysis of their portrayals in literature to enquire into the mechanics of the respective channels of hegemonic manifestation.