Navigating Adolescent Liminality: A Critical Exploration of the Threshold Experiences in Abha Dawesar’s Babyji

This paper explores the application of liminality in Abha Dawesar's novel Babyji, focusing on the protagonist Anamika's journey through adolescence, sexuality, and societal expectations in 1990s Delhi. Liminality, a concept rooted in anthropology and later adopted in literary studies, desc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:New Literaria 2024-08, Vol.5 (2), p.74-81
Main Author: Nair, K S Kavya
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Age
Child development
Heteronormativity
Identity
Modernity
Narratives
Novels
Political factors
Rites of passage
Sexuality
Thresholds
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Summary:This paper explores the application of liminality in Abha Dawesar's novel Babyji, focusing on the protagonist Anamika's journey through adolescence, sexuality, and societal expectations in 1990s Delhi. Liminality, a concept rooted in anthropology and later adopted in literary studies, describes the disorienting ambiguity and fluidity experienced by individuals in transitional states or thresholds.Babyji serves as a fertile ground for examining liminality, as Anamika navigates the thresholds between childhood and adulthood, traditional and modern values, and heteronormative and queer identities. Through a close reading of the novel, we analyze how Dawesar employs liminality not only as a narrative device but also as a means of critiquing rigid societal structures. Anamika's interactions with her lovers, her intellectual pursuits, and her struggle with her identity are marked by a constant state of in-betweenness, challenging conventional narratives of coming-of-age and identity formation. The novel's setting in a rapidly changing India further amplifies these themes, positioning Anamika's journey against the backdrop of a nation in transition. I argue that Anamika's liminal experiences reflect broader questions of power, agency, and resistance in a society grappling with the tensions between tradition and modernity. By situating the protagonist in various liminal spaces- be it in her relationships, her academic ambitions, or her socio-political context- Dawesar highlights the potential for transformation and self-discovery that liminality offers. Ultimately,Babyji presents a nuanced portrayal of adolescence as a liminal phase, inviting readers to reconsider the complexities of identity and belonging in a rapidly changing world.
ISSN:2582-7375
2582-7375
DOI:10.48189/nl.2024.v05i2.009