Theoretical Underpinnings and Literary Analysis

Analyzing literary text is an intriguing and a complex activity as it calls for the modes of literary criticism relevant to the politics of the age. In the past, literary narratives were inclined more towards aesthetical and less of political. But with the introduction of Postcolonial and Postmodern literary narratives, it is being constructed more on political milieus.

Dr Zia Ahmed introduced the ELT professionsals to the literary world through an interesting lecture on Theoretical Underpinnings and Literary Analysis on December 6, 2022. The literary activity demonstrated the application of modern theoretical frameworks such as those of Bhabha on hybridity to postcolonial Pakistani Anglophone narratives. The canvas of his talk was vast and there were literary nuances that made the audience conversant not only with the methods but also the minutiae of the literary analysis. Dr Zia Ahmed in the first part of his presentation, introduced the ELT teachers to the theoretical assumptions and demonstrated how these could be in affirmation with the literary text and in the later half, he engaged the audience by asking them to conduct the literary analysis on their own, as a part of the feedback process.

Profile

Dr. Zia Ahmed is a Professor and chair of the English department, along with additional responsibility of the Registrar at Emerson University Multan, Pakistan. Besides academic and administrative duties, he is a regular columnist to the print media as a freelance writer and a YouTube blogger for the pre/post-class teaching of students. He visited the University of North Texas in 2015 for his postdoctoral research and has spoken nationally and internationally at IIU, Malaysia, La Rochelle, France, and Khadar, Azerbaijan conferences.