Colonial Echoes and Youthful Mind: A Socio-Psychological Reading of Postcolonial Impact in “Iranian Nights”

Abstract

This paper employs a postcolonial lens to explore the social and psychological impact on the young character of Ahmad (Representing immigrant eastern youth in the West) as reflected in the play Iranian Nights by Tariq Ali and Howard Brenton. Historical and cultural differences, issues of place and displacement, and the myths of identity and authenticity are standard features of postcolonial literature in English. Equally, this paper analyses the postcolonial elements such as identity crises, othering, cultural and religious differences, and resistance, and their socio psychological impact on a young character. The consequent forms of resistance and reaction bring drastic changes in Ahmad's life, particularly his social and psychological state, which is being transformed. Qualitative method, i.e., close-reading technique of data collection, has been used. For the conceptual framework, the research examines the social and psychological dimensions of postcolonial literary theory in light of Homi's concepts: K. Bhabha and other eminent theorists. In the field of social psychology, the study utilises Erik Erikson's concepts outlined in the book Identity: Youth and Crisis and the parameters developed by Robert T. Carter concerning PTSIM: a hypothetical psychological theory. This study’s specific focus on the representation of the socio psychological impact of postcolonialism on the young character and his consequent resistance and reactions will add more to the dynamics of postcolonial contemporary literature.