An Examination and Analysis of the Phenomenon of Colonialism and Anti-Colonialism in the Southern Iranian School of Fiction (Case Studies: The Monkey Whose Master Had Died, Tangsir, The Neighbors, and The Braves of Tangestan)

Abstract

The present study aims to examine the phenomenon of colonialism and the forms of resistance against it in the narrative literature of southern Iran. Adopting a comparative-analytical approach, this research analyzes four prominent novels: The Monkey Whose Master Had Died, Tangsir, The Neighbors, and The Braves of Tangestan. The fundamental assumption of the article is that southern Iranian literature functions as a mirror of the lived and concrete experiences of the people of this region under colonial domination, particularly British colonial influence, and that the roots of resistance reflected in these works emerge from the region’s distinctive historical, cultural, and social context. The theoretical framework of the study draws on a synthesis of key perspectives from postcolonial studies, including Edward Said’s concepts of Orientalism and cultural imperialism, Antonio Gramsci’s theory of hegemony, Stuart Hall’s notion of representation, and Michel Foucault’s analyses of power and resistance. The findings indicate that colonialism in southern Iran was a multidimensional phenomenon encompassing political, economic, cultural, and social dimensions, and that southern Iranian writers, by employing indigenous linguistic, narrative, and symbolic capacities, have succeeded in representing these dimensions as well as various forms of resistance, including individual, collective, armed, cultural, and symbolic resistance. These works not only narrate historical suffering but also function as discursive acts that contribute to resistance against colonial hegemony, the redefinition of indigenous identity, and the strengthening of collective consciousness. Consequently, the narrative literature of southern Iran can be regarded as a resistance-producing discourse and an effective framework for postcolonial studies within the Iranian context.