Post-Racial Identity and Self-Alienation: A Comparative Study of Paul Betty’s and Mohsin Hamid’s works

Abstract

“It’s illegal to yell ‘Fire!’ in a crowded theater, right...Well; I’ve whispered ‘Racism’ in a post-racial world.” (The Sellout) The purpose of this qualitative research is to explore dimensions of racial discrimination practiced in American society as depicted in two selected literary narratives. The study is a comparative analysis of Paul Beatty’s The Sellout 2015 and two novels written by Mohsin Hamid The Reluctant
Fundamentalist.2007 and Exit West 2017. Both novels provide an insight into the authors’ minds about the phenomenon of race and racial identity in American society. In neo-colonial age, the focus of
imperialism has been shifted from European imperialism to American imperialism that is claimed as a new form of hegemony. America’s way of affirming her hegemonic control over other nations is a no more traditional one; rather it is a silent and subtle way to dominate the weaker nations. The study raises the issue of racism in American society that is a highly debated problem. The two chosen novels are reflections over the said phenomenon. America’s claim of entering into the post-racial era appears to be fake in the light of the treatment which Beatty has given to the problem of racism in his novel. In the same
way, Mohsin Hamid’s description of post 9/11 America throws light on the American cultural hegemony over the Pakistani community living in post 9/11 American society. Hamid’s description of the living
conditions of Pakistani settlers in America in the post 9/11 scenario strengthens the view that America isfollowing the same rules to claim its hegemony over the nations which were once colonized. The present
paper attempts to subvert the American claim of entering into a post-racial era where there is no racial discrimination anymore. And it will also attempt to explore the silent mode of maintaining the superiority
of America over non-Americans. Critical Race Theory is used to conduct the present research. CRT is an interpretative mode of exploring and analyzing racism across the dominant cultural form of expression.
The approach used for conducting analysis explains the condition of the victims of racial discrimination that how they reestablish their identity and present themselves in adverse circumstances in any raceoriented society