A Critical Discourse Analysis of Identity and Sociopolitical Power Dynamics in Mohsin Hamid’s The Last White Man

Abstract

The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid offers a potent examination of societal change and identity crises. This study examines how the novel portrays the emotional and societal scuffles related to identity, predominantly through diasporic practices. With Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study scrutinizes the language, ideologies and power structures of the description. This qualitative approach exposes how the text occupies sociopolitical orders, historical backgrounds and cultural transferences. The central character, Anders, suffers a transformation from white to black, denoting a deep loss of self. This variation forces him to challenge societal biases and straight approaches of isolation, dismissal and agony practices that reflect the tests confronted by many diasporic characters. From Anders’ journey, the novel reviews how society connects whiteness with honor and recognition, while blackness embodies downgrading and marginalization. His change high spot the widespread nature of these concepts and the psychological peal they take on characters. By scrutinizing the interaction among language and sociopolitical themes, the study discloses how Hamid practices Anders’ story to encounter extremely entrenched views of race and belonging. The findings offer a sophisticated understanding of the novel’s appraisal of societal power dynamics and its focus on the convolutions of identity in a varying world. Eventually, this research determines how The Last White Man summonses readers to mirror on their own partialities and the structures that figure our understanding of race and identity, proposing a persuasive appeal for compassion and change.