COLONIAL OPPRESSION AND COUNTER-NARRATIVE IN UZMA ASLAM KHAN’S THE MIRACULOUS TRUE HISTORY OF NOMI ALI: A DISCOURSE HISTORICAL APPROACH

Abstract

This study examines the portrayal of colonial oppression and the development of counter-narratives in the novel, The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali (2019), by Uzma Aslam Khan. The novel takes place during the Japanese occupation of the Andaman Islands during World War II and examines a forgotten and overlooked colonial past and the lives of marginalised communities. The aim of this study is to examine the discursive construction and contestation of colonial power relations in the text. A qualitative and interpretative research design was used, selected excerpts from the novel were critically analysed by applying key DHA parameters, which are nomination, predication, argumentation, perspectivisation and intensification/mitigation strategies. The dialogues, character portrayals, and plot of the novel demonstrate that colonial oppression is rooted in the novel. The text also produces counter-narratives that attempt to resist colonial ideologies by reclaiming indigenous voices, holding onto collective memory and challenging the official history. The results reveal that language is an important arena of ideological conflict and the reproduction and contestation of colonial discourses. The study finds that Khan's novel is a useful tool for uncovering the long-term consequences of colonisation and provides a different lens that can help bring to life the voices of marginalised groups and help shape a more inclusive history and identity.