Orhan Pamuk and Cosmopolitanism: An Analysis of The Silent House, The White Castle and Snow
Nasir Butt
Research Scholar
Deptt of English
Central University of Jammu
Abstract:
In today’s world, when no nation or culture can remain isolated and pure, it is imperative to expand the concentric circles of belonging to the global level. Cosmopolitanism, as Nussbaum believes means to expand one’s allegiance from local, ethnic and expand it from national through international. This is the possible way to hormonise the world under one “global village.” The paper analyses three novels of Orhan Pamuk, The White Castle, Snow and The Silent House through the perspective of “cosmopolitanism” as propagated by Martha C Nussbaum. The paper works on the proposition …show more content…
. . the ideals of justice and equality” (4). These goals, Nussbaum argues, “would be better served by an ideal that is in any case more adequate to our situation in the contemporary world, namely the very old ideal of the cosmopolitan, the person whose allegiance is to the worldwide community of human beings” (4). Nussbaum criticizes the notion of extreme nationalism and believes that nationalism and “ethnocentric particularism are not alien to one another one, but akin . . .” (5). This entails the loyalty to more narrow spheres culminating in the excessive belonging to a small group, say family, and rejection loyalty to the outer spheres, say society or nation. Cosmopolitanism demands recognition of all the nations and peoples of the world as basically identical and equal. It demands a vision that transcends the local allegiances within national border and seeks allegiance to the humanity at large which makes the essence of international identity. Nussbaum’s idea of Cosmopolitanism is although criticized on the grounds that nationality and patriotism cannot be substituted by universalism and that it is difficult to imagine others. However Amartya Sen supports Nussbaum’s stand: “The importance of Nussbaum's focus on world citizenship lies in correcting a serious neglect—that of the interest of people who are not related to us through, say, kinship or community or nationality. The assertion that one's fundamental allegiance is to humanity at large brings every other person into the domain of concern, without eliminating anyone” (Sen 114). Robert Fine believes that the emergence of cosmopolitan right is necessary and possible because of growing inter societal relationship in the modern world. Fine impresses on the role of imagining other to attain mutual recognition of different cultures and societies as
Nasir Butt
Research Scholar
Deptt of English
Central University of Jammu
Abstract:
In today’s world, when no nation or culture can remain isolated and pure, it is imperative to expand the concentric circles of belonging to the global level. Cosmopolitanism, as Nussbaum believes means to expand one’s allegiance from local, ethnic and expand it from national through international. This is the possible way to hormonise the world under one “global village.” The paper analyses three novels of Orhan Pamuk, The White Castle, Snow and The Silent House through the perspective of “cosmopolitanism” as propagated by Martha C Nussbaum. The paper works on the proposition …show more content…
. . the ideals of justice and equality” (4). These goals, Nussbaum argues, “would be better served by an ideal that is in any case more adequate to our situation in the contemporary world, namely the very old ideal of the cosmopolitan, the person whose allegiance is to the worldwide community of human beings” (4). Nussbaum criticizes the notion of extreme nationalism and believes that nationalism and “ethnocentric particularism are not alien to one another one, but akin . . .” (5). This entails the loyalty to more narrow spheres culminating in the excessive belonging to a small group, say family, and rejection loyalty to the outer spheres, say society or nation. Cosmopolitanism demands recognition of all the nations and peoples of the world as basically identical and equal. It demands a vision that transcends the local allegiances within national border and seeks allegiance to the humanity at large which makes the essence of international identity. Nussbaum’s idea of Cosmopolitanism is although criticized on the grounds that nationality and patriotism cannot be substituted by universalism and that it is difficult to imagine others. However Amartya Sen supports Nussbaum’s stand: “The importance of Nussbaum's focus on world citizenship lies in correcting a serious neglect—that of the interest of people who are not related to us through, say, kinship or community or nationality. The assertion that one's fundamental allegiance is to humanity at large brings every other person into the domain of concern, without eliminating anyone” (Sen 114). Robert Fine believes that the emergence of cosmopolitan right is necessary and possible because of growing inter societal relationship in the modern world. Fine impresses on the role of imagining other to attain mutual recognition of different cultures and societies as