Neocolonialism, Climate Change, and the Poor in the Himalayas: Examining ‘Intra-species Inequalities’ in Anuradha Roy’s “Drowning in Reverse” (2020)

Abstract

The present article seeks to establish a connection between neocolonialism and environmental degradation in the current capitalist culture, contextualised in a critical reading of Anuradha Roy’s short story, “Drowning in Reverse” (2020). Arguing that neocolonialism in an extension of colonialism, the article interrogates the ‘Anthropocene’ discourse and critiques it as a homogenised concept, falling short of addressing the problem of unequal human agency in the era of neocolonialism. The article identifies unequal human agency as a critical problem through the analysis of Roy’s short story and discusses how the inequity in social strata complicates climate change related adversities, and subject the poor to the vagaries of environmental exploitation and degradation. Also, it shows how the drastic changes in environment due to commercial activities affect the lives of the poor, situated within the fragile ecology of the Indian Himalayas. Further, the article seeks to question the present narrative of development of the erstwhile colonies in the Global South, like that of India, in order to argue that the neocolonialists selectively represent the society in the global scenario, while marginalising the poor.