Exploring Racial Dynamics and Counter narratives in the Last White Man: Application of Critical Race Theory

Abstract

Through the application of Critical Race Theory (CRT), this study focuses on the analysis of the thematic aspect of race relations and counter narrative in Mohsin Hamid‘s work, The Last White Man. Though each work of Hamid is located in a speculative now – now of a world where people wake up one day without their racial identifiers – the key to a new reality lies in an understanding of the figure of the ‗threatening Other.‘ Applying CRT in the analysis of the selected novel, the paper aims at analysing that the narrative subverts the discourses of whiteness, privilege, and racism. It examines the way Hamid breaks down racial categorisations and offers counter-stories to the prevailing ones. The results reveal that the processes occurring within the characters, the studied work shows that the novel calls for the rejection of the idea of racial difference and ponder upon the evolution of identity toward equal and racism-free society. The study contributes to the methodological and theoretical literature as it relates to raced subjectivity and transformative possibilities of narratives