Posthuman Nature in Amitav Ghosh's The Great Derangement

Abstract

In this essay, I argue that Ghosh advocates a posthuman approach to Nature. Nature and the nonhuman world is endowed with agency and actively influences human lives. However, he is conscious of how this view has been occluded by the ideology of human exclusivism advocated by post-enlightenment humanism. He argues that aspects of this ideology have also prevented authors from including realistic representations of the current climate catastrophe in their fictions. Ghosh believes that nature's agency needs to be acknowledged. I argue that in holding this view, he is aligned with not only modern ecocritics, but also ancient Indian philosophical views. Moreover, It is interesting to note that his views are similar to those reflected in fictions by many other contemporary Asian writers.