Volume-2, Issue-3, March 2026

1. Ethics Without Redemption: Non-Heroic Survival and the Refusal of Moral Closure in Postcolonial Narratives

Authors: Mr. Raju Pegu

Keywords: Postcolonial ethics, Non-heroic survival, Moral ambiguity, Narrative closure, Narrative ethics, Postcolonial literature.

Page No: 01-16 View Article Details
DIN JCRELC-MAR-2026-1
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Abstract

Narrative ethics has become a method of analysis of postcolonial literature, especially with regard to the way in  which literary works interfere with the traditional moral categories based on Western literary traditions. This is a review paper  discussing the notion of the ethics without redemption and how the postcolonial narratives reflect the non-heroic survival and  consciously deny the moral closure. Based on the recent works in postcolonial theories, narrative theory, and trauma theory,  the review is a synthesis of the existing studies on the ethical aspects of ambiguous endings, fragmented narratives, and  characters with a moral dimension. Historically, postcolonial literature is the result of the culture and politics of the  postcolonial phase following the rule of colonial domination, aimed at discussing the ongoing effects of the imperial power,  cultural displacement, and identity crisis in the societies that once were colonized. In these contexts, a lot of the stories are in  opposition to the classical literary pattern of the heroic redemption, but they are the stories about the characters who are  bargaining to survive in the environment of structural inequality and historical trauma. 

The review presents several thematic patterns in the literature, such as the denial of the blatant moral binary, narrative  fragmentation and silence, and the manipulation of ethical ambiguity as the central narrative technique. According to scholars,  these types of narratives represent the historical injustices that have not been resolved yet and make readers face the  sophisticated moral issues and not the simplified moral answers. The paper also outlines the new academic discussions in  relation to the concept of survival ethics, reader-response interpretation, and the use of philosophical ethics and the study of  literature. This review has revealed that postcolonial narratives can transform the moral possibilities of the storytelling process  by synthesizing different critical viewpoints and focusing on endurance, ambiguity and historical responsibility instead of  redemption. Finally, the research adds to the current discourse of the postcolonial literary criticism by offering a model of the  interpretation of how the discourse of survival puts in question traditional conceptions of morality and broadens current theory  of narrative morality. 

Keywords: Postcolonial ethics, Non-heroic survival, Moral ambiguity, Narrative closure, Narrative ethics, Postcolonial literature.

References

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[2] Al-Masri, A. A., Smadi, M. M., & Al-Twaijer, L. A. (2024). The role of memory and trauma in postcolonial literature: A critical  examination of Chinua Achebe and J. M. Coetzee. Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/385711557_The_Role_of_Memory_and_Trauma_in_Postcolonial_Literature_A_Critical_E xamination_of_Chinua_Achebe_and_JM_Coetzee 

[3] Alothman, K. Y. (2026). Bodies in transit: Trauma, health and exile in contemporary postcolonial fiction. Cogent Arts & Humanities,  3(1). https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311983.2026.2633050 

[4] Barik, L. (2024). Unravelling postcolonial perspective and identity formation in contemporary Indian English literature: A critical  analysis. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/399575713_Unravelling_Postcolonial_perspective_and_Identity_F ormation_in_Contemporary_Indian_English_Literature_A_Critical_Analysis 

[5] Bouallegue, N. (2025). Teaching cultural studies through postcolonial literature: Fostering empathy and critical thinking in the  classroom. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376800458 

[6] Czernik, J. (2025). Rushdie nad Wisłą: Reception, translation, and politics of world literature. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377053641 

[7] Idowu, O. (2025). Narrating power and memory: Historical trauma and postcolonial literature. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377054392 

[8] Jani, B. J. (2025). Reimagining identity in postcolonial East African literature. F1000Research, 14, 1025. https://f1000research.com/articles/14-1025 

[9] Kanté, L. (2025). Constructing Black consciousness in postcolonial literature. ResearchGate

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[11] Karmakar, G. (2025). Decolonial repair and environmental injustice in Helon Habila's Oil on WaterResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377017351 

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[13] Kuleli, M., Demir Eryiğit, E., & Balkul, H. İ. (2025). Power relations in Things Fall ApartResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377002118 

[14] LeBlanc, P. (2023). Ethical reading and literary ambiguity: Reader engagement in contemporary narrative studies. Journal of Literacy  Research. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1086296X231215326 

[15] Liu, Q. (2025). Cultural identity in Rohinton Mistry's novels. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376990214 [16] Mambrol, N. M. (2023). Trauma studies – literary theory and criticism. Literariness. https://literariness.org/2018/12/19/trauma-studies/ [17] Martínez-Falquina, S. (2015). Postcolonial trauma theory in the contact zone. Humanities, 4(4), 834–845. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/4/4/834 

[18] Mukherjee, S. (2025). Postcolonial narratives and ethical survival: Rethinking literary resistance in contemporary fiction. International  Journal of Social Inquiry. https://ijsi.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/18.02.019.20251003.pdf 

[19] Narrative techniques in postcolonial literature: Reclaiming narrative strategies. (2023). Asian Journal of English Education,  11(2). https://www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/ajeee/article/view/4683 

[20] Nhari, S. R., Taka, C., & Nzimakwe, T. I. (2025). Exploring the influence of trauma on ethical theory understanding: A narrative  literature review based on public administration education. Frontiers in Education. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1530773/full 

[21] Nwosu, C. (2024). Narrative ethics and postcolonial memory: Literature as resistance against colonial discourse. Journal of  Sustainability Research. https://sustainability.hapres.com/htmls/JSR_1631_Detail.html 

[22] Olive, S. (2014). Narrative ethics and postcolonial memory in contemporary fiction. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/71425363.pdf [23] Pandey, S. (2025). Narrative injustice and the legal erasure of indigeneity. Laws, 14(6), 96. https://www.mdpi.com/2075-471X/14/6/96 [24] Patel, D. S. (2022). Postcolonial literature: Its importance and modern-day relevance. Educational Administration: Theory and  Practice, 28(1), 240–244. 

[23] Pandey, S. (2025). Narrative injustice and the legal erasure of indigeneity. Laws, 14(6), 96. https://www.mdpi.com/2075-471X/14/6/96 [24] Patel, D. S. (2022). Postcolonial literature: Its importance and modern-day relevance. Educational Administration: Theory and  Practice, 28(1), 240–244. 

[24] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/382678480_Postcolonial_Literature_Its_Importance_And_Modern-Day_Relevance [25] Postcolonial literature: Selected essays on past, present and future trends. (2024). ResearchGate

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[26] Postcolonial perspectives in modern literature. (2024). BPA Journal of Library Science, 14(2). https://bpasjournals.com/library science/index.php/journal/article/view/974 

[27] Rajiva, M. (2014). Postcolonial narrative strategies and fragmented storytelling. University of Toronto. https://utoronto.scholaris.ca/bitstreams/81c0b5ea-4c56-44b9-9ddd-1c4fd1665fcc/download 

[28] Rao, N. (2004). Postcolonial fictions of nations in crisis. Postcolonial Text, 1(1). https://www.postcolonial.org/index.php/pct/article/view/288/96 

[29] Reclaiming narratives in postcolonial literature. (2024). IRE Journals. https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1707270.pdf [30] Rejina, K. C. (2026). Ethical dilemmas in narrative research: A review informed by qualitative methodology. PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12833055/ 

[31] Shakun, N. (2024). Modern theories and methodologies in postcolonial research. Amazonia Investiga, 13(82), 102– 118. https://amazoniainvestiga.info/index.php/amazonia/article/view/2796 

[32] Siby, O. (2025). Beyond the void: Postcolonial trauma and the strategy of silence in African and South Asian literature. International  Journal of Language, Literature and Culture, 5(3), 15–18. https://aipublications.com/uploads/issue_files/4IJLLC-MAY20252- Beyond.pdf 

[33] Siccardi, J. (2024). Do not insert yourself into the main narrative: Poetics of belonging and trauma in Natasha Brown's AssemblyPlath  Profiles. https://journals.openedition.org/pla/pdf/1479 

[34] Siddiqui, S. (2024). Postcolonial trends in literature. Journal of English Language and Literature, 10(1), 27– 34. https://www.joell.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/27-34-POSTCOLONIAL-TRENDS-IN-LITERATURE.pdf [35] Soares, A. C. T. (2025). Revisiting tragedy in contemporary literature. ResearchGate

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[39] Taman, P. (2025). Exploring ethical and emotional engagement with suffering in postcolonial literature. Humanexus Journal,  2(1). https://journals.ai-mrc.com/humanexus/article/download/656/682 

[40] Tóth, H. G. (2019). Contemporary postcolonial literature, reader-response, and reception studies. University of Leeds. [41] https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/26559/1/Contemporary%20Postcolonial%20Literature%2C%20Reader Response%2C%20and%20Reception%20Studies%20-%20H.G.Toth.pdf 

[42] Tsang, P. (2024). The meanings of postcolonial critique. Cultural Critique, 122(1), 45–68. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/30333962241228337 

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[45] Whig, V., & Jain, H. (2025). Historical memory and identity in the novels of Bapsi Sidhwa. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377046120 

[46] Yadav, K. (2026). Narrative closure and ethical ambiguity in postcolonial fiction. MRS Publisher. https://www.mrspublisher.com/assets/articles/1771079184.pdf 

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Keywords: Postcolonial ethics, Non-heroic survival, Moral ambiguity, Narrative closure, Narrative ethics, Postcolonial literature.

2. Mapping Migratory Routes and Urban Imaginaries: GIS-Based Spatial Storytelling in Contemporary Graphic Novels

Authors: Dr. Kaushalkumar H. Desai

Keywords: GIS storytelling, graphic novels, digital humanities, spatial humanities, migration routes, urban imaginaries, digital cartography, sequential art, displacement narratives, georeferencing, multimodal spatial analysis.

Page No: 17-28 View Article Details
DIN JCRELC-MAR-2026-2
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Abstract

This paper explores the intersection of graphic novels and spatial humanities by applying Geographic Information  Systems (GIS) to map migratory routes and urban imaginaries in contemporary graphic narratives. While graphic novels have  long served as powerful vehicles for depicting displacement, exile, and the lived experience of cities, traditional literary  analysis often overlooks the precise spatial dynamics embedded in their panel sequences, gutters, and visual layouts. Drawing on tools from the spatial humanities, I georeference key locations, trace character journeys, and reconstruct imagined urban  environments in selected works, including Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, Shaun Tan's The Arrival, and Art Spiegelman's Maus.  By converting narrative panels into layered GIS datasets incorporating base maps, migration trajectories, and qualitative  annotations of space, I reveal how these texts construct "migratory cartographies" that blend real-world geography with  subjective, affective urban imaginaries. The analysis demonstrates that graphic novels do not merely represent migration; they  actively perform spatial storytelling through sequential art, where the movement between panels mirrors the fragmented, non linear nature of displaced lives. Interactive StoryMaps created for this project further allow readers to engage with these  routes dynamically, bridging the gap between close reading and geospatial visualization. Ultimately, this study argues that  GIS-based methods enrich our understanding of graphic novels as multimodal spatial texts and offer new possibilities for  digital humanities scholarship in literature and cultural geography. By treating comics panels as geospatial data, we can  uncover patterns of belonging, alienation, and mobility that remain hidden in conventional textual analysis. 

Keywords: GIS storytelling, graphic novels, digital humanities, spatial humanities, migration routes, urban imaginaries, digital cartography, sequential art, displacement narratives, georeferencing, multimodal spatial analysis.

References

[1] Bhabha, H. K. (1994). The location of culture. Routledge. 

[2] Bodenhamer, D. J., Corrigan, J., & Harris, T. M. (Eds.). (2010). The spatial humanities: GIS and the future of humanities  scholarship. Indiana University Press. 

[3] Fraser, B. (2019). Visible cities, global comics: Urban images and spatial form. University Press of Mississippi. 

[4] Hirsch, M. (1992). Family pictures: Maus, mourning, and post-memory. Discourse, 15(2), 3–29. 

[5] Satrapi, M. (2007). The complete Persepolis. Pantheon. 

[6] Spiegelman, A. (1996). The complete Maus. Pantheon. 

[7] Tan, S. (2007). The arrival. Arthur A. Levine Books.

Keywords: GIS storytelling, graphic novels, digital humanities, spatial humanities, migration routes, urban imaginaries, digital cartography, sequential art, displacement narratives, georeferencing, multimodal spatial analysis.

3. Tracing the Historical and Cultural Roots of the Kuruma Community: Lineage, Pastoral Traditions, and the Rise of Beerappa

Authors: Dr. Malavi Jeripotula; Mr. Mote Sreenu

Keywords: Kuruma community, culture and heritage, Beerappa, Veeragallu tradition, cultural studies, Indigenous traditions of Telangana.

Page No: 29-37 View Article Details
DIN JCRELC-MAR-2026-3
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Abstract

Telangana state has formed on the grounds of culture, heritage and exclusive festivals. It is one of those states  that has multi-communities and diverse cultures. One of the many communities is the Kuruma community. Not much research  has been done on this community in mainstream literature. Indeed, their culture and heritage are noteworthy to study. This  research article delves into the history of the Kuruma community, and how Beerappa has become the patron deity of the  community. It also examines whether the characters involved in the story of Beerappa are fictional or real. In addition, this research article focuses on why the Kuruma religion is called the Religion of Milk, and the different types within the Kuruma  community. The inscriptions laid by the great kings which are related to this community are also examined. All in all, this  article studies the objects that are relevant to this community through a historical approach rather than a cultural approach.  While the Rajputs had Col. Tod, the Marathas had Grant-Duff, the Sikhs had Cunningham, and even the Jats had K. R.  Kanungo, the Kurumas and Golla had none. The All India Yadava Mahasabha approached Rajbali Pandey to write the history  of these two communities, but he miserably failed them. This research paper will try to find out the historical evidences of the  Kuruma community.

Keywords: Kuruma community, culture and heritage, Beerappa, Veeragallu tradition, cultural studies, Indigenous traditions of Telangana.

References

[1] Nagasheshu, B. (2024). Beerappa: A historical & cultural hero. Kasturi Vijayam Press. 

[2] Vasudev, R. (2011). Oggu Katha-accompanied imitations and expressions. Dravidian University Press.

 [3] Nagasheshu, B. (2023). Ekudaram: Chethivruthula santhakam. Kasturi Vijayam Press. 

[4] Yadav, J. N. S. (1992). Yadavas through the ages: From ancient period to date (Vol. 1). Sharada Publishing House. 

[5] Yadav, J. N. S. (1992). Yadavas through the ages: From ancient period to date (Vol. 2). Sharada Publishing House.

[6] Nagasheshu, R. (2023). History and culture of Kuruma/Kuruba community. Palamuru University Press. 

[7] Thurston, E. (1901). Castes and tribes of Southern India (Vol. 2). Government Press. 

[8] Sreenu, M., & Malleh, B. (2022). The hidden legend of folk art… The deity of Oggu Katha… The power of determination and the  symbol of women empowerment – Jamma Mallari. International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews, 9(4), 501– 505. https://ijrar.org/papers/IJRAR22A1445.pdf 

[9] Pavani, C. (2025). Birappa narrative: An anthropological reading of pastoral law in the Kuruma of Telangana. International Journal  of Humanities and Social Science Research, 11(2), 85–88. https://www.socialsciencejournal.in/assets/archives/2025/vol11issue2/11096.pdf 

[10] Murthy, M. L. K. (1991/1992). Beerappa and Mallanna: The emergence of folk gods in the religion of Kuruvas and Gollas of Andhra  Pradesh. *Bulletin of the Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, 51/52*, 563–572. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42930441 

[11] Hindu Post. (2025, September 30). Know about the Kula Daivam Beerappa, an incarnation of Sri Veerabhadra. Hindu  Post. https://hindupost.in/dharma-religion/know-about-the-kula-daivam-beerappa-an-incarnation-of-sri-veerabhadra/ 

[12] Chatterjee, S. K. (2010). Studies on the Dravidian culture. Heritage Press. 

[13] Durant, W. (1950). The story of civilization. Simon & Schuster. 

[14] Hegde, O. (2008). Sources of Vijayanagara. Karnataka University Press. 

[15] Iyengar, S. K. (1995). The sources of Vijayanagara. University Press. 

[16] Muller, M. (1885). The popular educator. Oxford University Press.

Keywords: Kuruma community, culture and heritage, Beerappa, Veeragallu tradition, cultural studies, Indigenous traditions of Telangana.

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