Fourth World Literature in India: An Act of Appropriation?

Abstract

That the concept of Fourth World Literature seems to have been appropriated by Dalits in India is an indication of their anxiety to get international attention to oppression on account of caste system. Conceptually, it is wrong to equate Fourth World literature with Dalit literature in the Indian context. While Fourth World literature deals with the literature of and about the indigenous peoples who have been identified by the UN and the Supreme Court of India, Dalit literature is concerned with the lives of the marginalized groups in the mainstream Indian State. This paper attempts to clarify the concept of Fourth World Literature and its relevance to India. Studies on both Fourth World Literature and Dalit Literature ought to go hand in hand sharing the theoretical and methodological epistemology to enrich each other field in stead of the latter appropriating what is due to the former.