Identity Crisis in Dalit Literature: An Appraisal

Dalit literature is deeply concerned with identity formation and its assertion to regain the self-confidence and self worth of the marginalized sections in our society. Most of their creative imagination is structured around these premises. Dalit literature is mainly available in translation and therefore poses a hurdle for most researchers. But looking at its immense value in restructuring and revisioning identity and providing specific insights into the question of the other self a different self that has battled cultural segregation and oppression it is becoming obligatory to take up issues raised by it and feed into literary understanding brought forward by contemporary comparative literature. This study has focused on the self narrative of Dalit writers and their poetry to unravel the hitherto unexplored social and cultural contents of Dalit literature and analyze their efforts at identity formation.