Bangladeshi Literature in English: Negotiating Orientalism and Anglicism beyond Identity and Cultural Boundaries

Abstract

Bangladeshi Literature in English (BLE) exists at the crossing of two contending colonial paradigms: Orientalism and Anglicism. Orientalism, as the present connotation suggests, is a romantic narrative of the Orients. On the other hand, Anglicism is thrusting the domination of the English language. These tensions have profoundly shaped BLE, as it grapples with issues of identity, language, and cultural representation in both local and global contexts. The Orientalist perspective often relegated Bangladeshi culture to an exotic, unchanging otherness, while the Anglicist framework promoted English as a vehicle for progress, sidelining indigenous traditions. BLE resists these reductive binaries, creating a space for Bangladeshi authors to reclaim narrative agency. Writers like Abid Khan, Numair Atif Choudhury, Razia Khan and Kaiser Haq, Raj Reader etc. exemplify this dual engagement, blending indigenous motifs with modernist and postmodernist techniques to forge a hybrid literary identity. Through poetry, fiction, and drama, BLE critiques colonial legacies while addressing contemporary issues such as globalization, political instability, and diasporic identity. This paper explores how BLE serves as a site of cultural negotiation, where the legacies of colonialism intersect with the aspirations of a postcolonial nation. By critically examining the works of key authors, it highlights BLE’s role in decolonizing narratives and fostering a literary tradition that transcends imposed binaries. Ultimately, BLE asserts a dynamic identity that honors local traditions while engaging with global literary currents, offering a nuanced portrayal of Bangladesh’s evolving place in a globalized world.