ItemArticle

Systemless authoritarianism, counter-archives, and literary witnessing: a New Historicist and cultural-political reading of Arundhati Roys The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

Title
Systemless authoritarianism, counter-archives, and literary witnessing: a New Historicist and cultural-political reading of Arundhati Roys The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
Creator
S Kumar, Sarath; Kadiyakkol, Sreejith
Description
Arundhati Roys The Ministry of Utmost Happiness offers a significant literary response to the evolving forms of authoritarianism in postcolonial India. This article uses a New Historicist and cultural-political framework to analyse the idea of systemless authoritarianism. Instead of using overt state force, the idea refers to a diffused and socially acceptable type of authority that functions through common institutions, cultural norms, and unofficial practices. Roys multi-voiced narrative focuses on marginalised characters such as Anjum, Tilo, and Musa, whose interwoven stories show how repression is intertwined with caste, gender, bureaucracy, and territorial warfare. Using theoretical concepts from Antonio Gramsci, Marlies Glasius, Michel Foucault, and Stephen Greenblatt, the study looks at Roys creation of a counter-archive that challenges official narratives and offers a voice to those who have been silenced. By examining spaces such as the militarised Kashmir Valley and the Jannat Guest House, the study demonstrates how authoritarian authority operates through internalised discipline and cultural consensus inside democratic communities. Ultimately, the novels fractured narrative structure, documentary style, and intertextual elements function as literary witnessing acts that resist authoritarian erasure and recreate various forms of belonging. 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Source
Cogent Arts and Humanities;Volume;13;Issue;1;Article No.;2652710;
Date
01-01-2026
Publisher
Cogent OA
Subject
Arundhati Roy; cultural resistance; New Historicism; postcolonial literature; systemless authoritarianism
Coverage
S Kumar S., Department of English and Cultural Studies, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, India; Kadiyakkol S., Department of English and Cultural Studies, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, India
Rights
All Open Access; Gold Open Access; Green Open Access
Relation
ISSN: 23311983;
Format
online
Language
English
Type
Article

Citation

S Kumar, Sarath; Kadiyakkol, Sreejith, “Systemless authoritarianism, counter-archives, and literary witnessing: a New Historicist and cultural-political reading of Arundhati Roys The Ministry of Utmost Happiness,” CHRIST (Deemed To Be University) Institutional Repository, accessed June 19, 2026, https://archives.christuniversity.in/items/show/22785.

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