Reclaiming Agency through Fashion: Postcolonial Identities and Colonial Legacies in V.S. Naipaul's A Bend in the River

Abstract

Fashion has been an important part of human cultures since the dawn of civilization. It covers a wide range of practices related to clothing, style, personal ornaments to domains like furniture, interior design, and food preferences. Therefore, it is deeply influenced by cultural, social, economic, and political factors. Fashion is a powerful tool for representing identity, especially in cultures impacted by colonialism and imperialism. It is through fashion choices that individuals express their cultural identity, challenge norms imposed by others, and resist the erasure of their heritage. It becomes a tool for empowerment and self-representation, allowing marginal communities to reclaim agency over their own narratives. While colonialism may have ended, the legacy of colonialism has left lasting impacts on economies, social structures, and cultural perceptions. The Western nations continue actively participating in imperial activities to protect their wealth and power by exploiting other countries economically. The internalisation of colonial set of values has also influenced the perception of fashion among the people from once colonised countries whose cultural values are deemed as being uncivilized as “superior”, “civilized” and “rational” coloniser’s western fashion trends permeate the local market. Fashion is used as a means of signifying power, class, and status with European modes of dress being seen as a symbol of sophistication and modernity. Drawing upon the broader theorerical framework of postcolonialism, this paper critically analyses V.S. Naipaul’s seminal work A Bend in the River to demonstrate how fashion choices creates identities to continue colonial legacies.