Displacement, Environment, and Survival: An Eco-critical Analysis of Refugee Narratives of Nadeem Aslam's The Wasted Vigil

Abstract

This article critically examines Nadeem Aslam’s novel The Wasted Vigil (2008) from an ecocritical perspective, highlighting the connection between displacement, environmental destruction, and the struggle for existence in Afghanistan’s war-torn landscape. While typical refugee stories delve into the themes of trauma, loss of identity and political unrest, this analysis sheds light on the fact that the novel also represents nature as a silent witness and co-victim of human catastrophes. This research has integrated the concepts of eco-trauma and material eco-criticism with deterritorialisation theory to reveal that orchards, rivers, mountains, and ruins serve as layered sites of memory, violence, and resilience. Aslam reshapes post 9/11 fiction by breaking free from a U.S. centred perspective and weaving together the experiences of Afghans, Russians, and Americans in a shared environment of grief. The narrative underscores the parallel between women’s struggle for survival amidst patriarchal oppression and Taliban extremism and the degradation of the natural world, presenting both as dispensable entities. The study suggests that to wade through these fractured territories, human agency is not the sole factor to be considered, as the analysis aims to discuss the role of Aslam’s storytelling in expanding the discussion of displacement to also include the aspects of the environment. Future research could expand the scope by including multiple works from various authors, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.

Keywords:

Deterritorialization, displacement, Ecocriticism, eco-trauma, palimpsestic history, refugee narratives, survival

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