Exploring Subaltern Narratives in Neel Mukherjee’s Novel A State of Freedom

This paper studies Neel Mukherjee’s novel A State of Freedom (2017) through the lenses of Subaltern Studies, postcolonial theory. It argues that Mukherjee’s fragmented narrative centers the lives of marginalized characters—such as Milly, Lakshman, Renu, and Ramlal—to critique the structural constraints on India’s ‘subaltern’ populations. Each section of the novel foregrounds a different subaltern subject, challenging conventional narrative hierarchies. Through interconnected storylines, Mukherjee illustrates how caste, class, gender and globalizing neoliberal forces converge to deny dignity and agency, aligning with Gramsci’s notion of subaltern fragmentation and Spivak’s question ‘Can the Subaltern Speak?’. The analysis draws on theorists including Ranajit Guha (Subaltern historiography), Edward Said and Dipesh Chakrabarty (colonial legacies), and feminist scholars (Crenshaw’s intersectionality, Mohanty on “Third World women”, and Scott on everyday resistance).