Discourses of Resistance: A Critical Study of Space, Resistance and Identity in Cheegha, A Call from Waziristan

Abstract

The present study explores the intricate discourses of space, resistance and memory in the socio-political world of Waziristan, Pkistan. Through the examination of intersection of language cognition, and social structures, this research brings to the fore how spatial narratives in Cheegha undermine dominant ideological depictions of the region and its people. Within Van Dijk’s triadic framework of discourse, society, and cognition, this study examiners the ways in which the spatial discourse in the novel impacts cognitive perceptions and advances critical geopolitics in a postcolonial context. Cheegha, represents space as an active agent deeply interwoven with the lived realities of Waziristan’s residents, and embeds spatial representation into accounts of historical resistance and cultural memory. It also explicates the way language is used as a tool to make claims for identity, resist marginalization, and develops counter-narratives against geopolitical discourses. By using Van Dijk’s Socio Cognitive model, it highlights the role of literature in constructing cognitive and ideological meaning of peripheral spaces. Finally, it locates Cheegha at a central place in the discourse of resistance, Pashtun identity and spatial politics in Waziristan’s socio-political context. The study provides a powerful lens in understanding the complex sociopolitical dynamics in Waziristan and its representation in literature. The study has implications for amplifying marginalized voices and informed policymaking in conflict affected areas