The Theme of Self-determinism in Fourth World Literature

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Fourth world nations are obviously conscious reflections of the unfinished history which continues to assert the spirit of self-determinism of the millions of the displaced ones who constantly engage themselves in a struggle for justice and freedom in order to gain such a degree of sovereignty over their own national homeland for restoring their right to dignity and self-respect . These nations are conveniently called ‘internationally unrecognized’ nations. The term ‘fourth world’ which came into being in 1974 with the publication of George Manuel’s The Fourth World: An Indian Reality tends to accommodate all sorts of indigenous peoples descended from a country’s aboriginal population and who are today completely or partly deprived of the their right to own territories and its riches. The struggles taken up by such peoples who are aboriginal and indigenous for the sake of restoration of their rights predominantly occupy the center stage of discussion in Fourth world literatures.
Of the themes which dominate the representative writings of the forth world literatures include the theme of resistance, rebellion, opposition, assertion, challenge, sacrifice, suffering and displacement. All these general ideas are interconnected with the common concept of ‘freedom’ and an aspiration for which is truly a driving force for the indigenous people. In this paper an attempt has been made to look into the theme of resistance and how it contributes to the development of the spirit of self-determinism as it is reflected and re-presented in the Fourth World literatures with special reference to dalits’ writings in India in order to appreciate and advance the common cause of freedom in the larger interest of Humanity.

The representa...

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...social and cultural challenges inspires and encourages the suffering Humanity to have pride in the past, purpose in the present and hope in future.

Works Cited

Arun, Joe C., ‘Constructing Dalit Identity’; Rewat Publication, 2007.
Albery, Nicholas and Mark Kinzely, ‘How to save the world: A fourth world guide to the poltics of scale,Wellingborough, Northamptonshire: Turnstone Press, 1984.
Dyck, Noel. ‘Indigenous Peoples and The Nation-State’, St. John’s Memorial University of Newfoundland, P.1985
Omvedt, Gail. Understanding Caste. New Delhi: Orient Blackwan,2011.
Ridker. R.G. (ed). ‘Changing Resource Problems of The Fourth World’, Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1976.
Shah, Ghanshyam. ‘Anti-Untouchability Movements’, New Delhi: Sage Publications, 2001.
Whittaker, Ben. ‘The Fourth World: Victims of Group Oppression’, London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1972.

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