The Question of Cultural Identity in Postcolonial India and the Fiction of U. R. Ananthamurthy

Abstract

The question of cultural identity occupies a dominant place in postcolonial literary discourse. In the Indian context, the transition from colonial subjugation to political independence spawned complex negotiations between traditional cultural structures and modern democratic values. Rather than reinstating a unwavering pre-colonial identity, postcolonial India witnessed a process of cultural re-evaluation in which inherited social institutions—particularly caste, religion, and community—were critically questioned. Among the writers who explored these tensions with remarkable philosophical depth is U. R. Ananthamurthy (1932–2014), a leading figure of the modernist Navya movement in Kannada literature.
Ananthamurthy’s fiction involves intensely with the ethical predicaments of postcolonial Indian society. Through novels such as Samskara and Bharathipura, he examines the catastrophe of religious orthodoxy, the challenge of caste hierarchy, and the search for ethical selfhood within a rapidly altering cultural landscape. His narratives expose individuals who antagonize the contradictions between inherited traditions and modern ideals of equality and freedom.
This article analyzes how Ananthamurthy’s fiction interrogates the question of cultural identity in postcolonial India. Drawing upon theoretical perceptions from scholars such as Stuart Hall and Homi K. Bhabha, the study argues that Ananthamurthy presents cultural identity as a dynamic process shaped by ethical reflection, social struggle, and historical consciousness. His works reveal that identity in postcolonial India emerges not from rigid adherence to tradition but from a continuous dialogue between past and present.