Rasib Mahmood, Shaheen Khan and Kainat Zafar
Dr Rasib Mehmood is working as Assistant Professor in English department, Qurtaba University of Science and Technology, Peshawar. He is also teaching at International Islamic University, Islamabad.
Dr Shaheen Khan is working as Adviser at the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Islamabad.
Ms Kainat Zafar teaches at Bahria University Islamabad.
DOI: http://DOI Number
Keywords: Economic condition, behaviour, South Asian literature, transcultural societies, Riaz Hassan, morality, ethics, reshaping, under-privileged, capitalist, exploitative, alienation
Abstract
Economic conditions play a vital role in determining the behaviours of individuals, as well as communities. Marvin Harris and Henry Hazlitt are major theorists who have shown that. Their theory is highly applicable, especially to South Asian literature, which is a reflection of postcolonial as well as transcultural societies. This research paper is an investigation into the relationship between economics and social behaviour with reference to Pakistani novelists who have sketched the picture of the class difference in South Asia, especially in Pakistan. Moth Smoke (2000) and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (2013) by Mohsin Hamid and The Unchosen (2002) by Riaz Hassan vitally apply to all South Asian countries. The novels reflect gradual changes in human behaviour towards money. Money, especially lack of it, plays a vital role in shaping and reshaping the morality and ethics of different classes of society. The paper also studies the effects of ‘alienation’ on the economically under-privileged created by a capitalist system and how imaginary identification with exploitative and unnatural social and cultural practices perpetuates class divisions.
First Published
December 25, 2017
How to Cite
Rasib Mahmood, Shaheen Khan, and Kainat Zafar, “Literary Perspectives on Being Rich in South Asia,” Regional Studies 36, no.1 (Winter 2018): 108-122,
https://regionalstudies.com.pk/wp/article/literary-perspectives-on-being-rich-in-south-asia/
Issue
Volume 36, issue 1