DISINTEGRATING SELVES: EXPLORING THE POSTCOLONIAL IDENTITY IN BILAL TANWEER’S THE SCATTER HERE IS TOO GREAT

Abstract

This research paper undertakes a nuanced exploration of identity fragmentation in Bilal Tanweer's The Scatter Here Is Too Great through the lens of Frantz Fanon's postcolonial theory. The novel's portrayal of Karachi's violent and tumultuous landscape serves as a backdrop for the characters' struggles with identity and belonging. Furthermore, the novel’s non-linear narrative structure effectively mirrors the characters' disjointed experiences, revealing the profound impact of colonial history, migration, and displacement on their sense of self. Through Fanon’s concept of alienation, inferiority and dehumanization, this study demonstrates how the novel constructs a postcolonial consciousness haunted by historical trauma and modern chaos. Ultimately, it argues that postcolonial identity is a complex_ evolving construct__dynamically shaped by the intersections of history, memory, and violence.