Opium Wars and Subaltern Voices in Amitav Ghosh Novels

Abstract

Amitav Ghosh is a renowned Indian English writer known for his skillful storytelling, combining historical events and intellectual insights. He focuses on the subaltern, marginalized, downtrodden, and subjugated individuals, as well as overlooked historical events. One of his notable works is the Ibis trilogy, which explores the overlooked Opium Wars, a conflict between Western nations and the ruling Qing dynasty of China. The term ‘subaltern’ refers to individuals in lower positions, often used in postcolonial studies to denote the dominance of ruling classes over subordinate classes like workers and peasants. Amitav Ghosh’s works are based on the idea that history imparts knowledge of previous events, enabling us to comprehend the present and lay the groundwork for the future. His Ibis trilogy provides insight into the Opium Wars and serves as a foundation for his work. Existentialism is a philosophical movement that emphasizes the individual’s existence and the meaning of life. It is the most individualistic philosophy among all contemporary philosophies, with its main principle being the complete freedom of the person.