The Representation of Colonialism in Amitav Ghosh’s Novels

Abstract

Amitav Ghosh was born in July 1956 in Calcutta to a diplomat father and a homemaker mother. Although his family originated from eastern Bengal and relocated to Calcutta before the Partition in 1947, the theme of displacement has been a recurring element in his literary works. His protagonists often reflect the experiences of refugees, shaped by historical upheavals. During his early years, Amitav Ghosh traveled extensively with his parents due to his father’s diplomatic assignments in Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan), Sri Lanka, and Iran. These experiences likely nurtured his interest in travel and its influence on storytelling, allowing him to explore themes of displacement and transience in his fiction. He has acknowledged that travel plays a significant role in shaping his narratives. Scholars have also observed that movement, whether physical or psychological, is central to his storytelling. He challenges conventional ideas of history as being defined by settled communities and stable cultures, instead portraying migration and mobility as intrinsic to human experience.