LIVING LIKE A TREE: NARRATIVES OF SLOW VIOLENCE IN ARUNDHATI ROY'S THE MINISTRY OF UTMOST HAPPINESS

Öz

This article bridges postcolonial studies and ecocriticism to explore the entanglement of environmental degradation and systemic marginalization in Arundhati Roy's The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Mainly anchored in the theoretical framework of Nixon's concept of "slow violence," this study examines how colonial and neo-colonial ideologies perpetuate ecological exploitation and social inequality. Through characters such as Anjum and Gulabiya, Roy critiques the intersection of environmental injustices, displacement, and socio-political exclusion. Anjum's existence within a graveyard, which is a symbolic site of ecological decay, exemplifies the gradual violence inflicted upon marginalized communities, while the extinction of white-backed vultures symbolizes the ecological ramifications of industrial modernity. Additionally, the Narmada Bachao Andolan and the Bhopal disaster serve as critical case studies of environmental racism, highlighting the disproportionate burdens borne by the Global South in the name of development. By engaging with colonial legacies such as deforestation and industrial expansion, the article underscores how contemporary globalization replicates the exploitative dynamics of imperialism. Roy's narrative strategies amplify the silenced experiences of the dispossessed while critiquing the ethical failures of anthropocentrism and capitalist modernity. The article concludes by emphasizing the role of literature as an activist medium, capable of rendering visible the imperceptible impacts of ecological and social violence. In doing so, it advocates for postcolonial ecocriticism as an essential lens for addressing global environmental and cultural issues.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Postcolonial Ecocriticism
• Slow Violence
• Environmental Justice
• Arundhati Roy
• The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

AĞAÇ GİBİ YAŞAMAK: ARUNDHATİ ROY'UN THE MINISTRY OF UTMOST HAPPINESS ADLI ESERİNDE YAVAŞ ŞİDDET ANLATILARI

Öz

Bu makale, Arundhati Roy'un The Ministry of Utmost Happiness adlı kitabında çevresel bozulma ve sistemik dışlanma arasındaki bağlantıyı incelemek için postkolonyal çalışmalar ve ekoeleştiri arasında köprü kurmaktadır. Temel olarak Nixon'ın "yavaş şiddet" teorisine dayanan bu çalışma, sömürgeci ve yeni-sömürgeci ideolojilerin ekolojik sömürüyü ve toplumsal eşitsizliği nasıl sürdürdüğünü incelemektedir. Roy, Anjum ve Gulabiya gibi karakterler aracılığıyla çevresel adaletsizlikler, yerinden edilme ve sosyo-politik dışlanmanın birbirlerini nasıl etkilediğini ele almaktadır. Anjum'un bir tür ekolojik çürüme alanı olan mezarlıktaki varlığı, marjinalleştirilmiş topluluklara uygulanan kademeli şiddeti örneklerken, beyaz sırtlı akbabaların neslinin tükenmesi de endüstriyel modernitenin ekolojik sonuçlarını simgelemektedir. Ayrıca, Narmada Bachao Andolan ve Bhopal felaketi, kalkınma adına Küresel Güney'in üstlendiği orantısız külfeti vurgulayarak çevresel ırkçılığın ciddi vaka analizleri olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Roy'un anlatı stratejileri, mülksüzleştirilenlerin susturulmuş olan sesini duyururken, insanmerkezciliğin ve kapitalist modernitenin etik başarısızlıklarını da eleştirmektedir. Bu makale, ekolojik ve toplumsal şiddetin algılanamayan etkilerini görünür hale getirebilme kapasitesine sahip aktivist bir araç olarak edebiyatın rolünü vurgulayarak sona ermektedir. Bunu yaparken, postkolonyal ekoeleştiriyi küresel çevre ve kültür sorunlarına yaklaşımda temel bir mercek olarak kullanmayı savunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Postkolonyal Ekoeleştiri
• Yavaş Şiddet
• Çevresel Adalet
• Arundhati Roy
• The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

Kaynakça

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