Imagining Contemporary Pakistan: A Paracolonial Perspective on Omar Shahid Hamid’s The Spinner’s Tale

Abstract

The objective of this research is to explore how Omar Shahid Hamid’s The Spinner’s Tale reflects the socio-political issues of contemporary Pakistan, particularly focusing on the psychological and cultural legacies of colonialism. Colonialism influences contemporary Pakistan in terms of psycho-social and socio-political sense. The novel hints at the enduring effects of colonial influence. However, Hamid views indigenous history as root cause of contemporary issues. Using Ali Usman Saleem’s paracolonial theory as the primary analytical framework to explore how Hamid’s novel detaches from the colonial past without undermining its influences on contemporary Pakistan. The study will also utilize Gayatri Spivak’s concept of subaltern identity to understand marginalized voices within the novel. The findings reveal contemporary Pakistan’s obsession with foreign cultural values, linguistic superiority of English, identity crisis amidst globalization, and bureaucracy. The novel critiques the influence of colonial mindsets in governance, offering insights into the larger implications for Pakistan’s socio-political identity.