Language and Manipulation: A Bhabhaian Reading of Mohammed Hanif’s A Case of Exploding Mangoes

Abstract

This study examines language in A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif through the postcolonial concepts of hybridity and the Third Space proposed by Homi K. Bhabha. The paper argues that language in the novel functions not only as a satirical device by the author but Hanif also employs it as a tool of ideological control and political manipulation. By analysing the linguistic strategies employed by political figures such as Zia, particularly the blending of religious, military, and diplomatic discourse, the study demonstrates how hybrid language becomes a tool for power, legitimacy, and negotiation for power. Drawing on Bhabha’s idea of cultural hybridity, the research highlights how political actors operate within a hybrid linguistic space that reflects both colonial legacies and local sociopolitical realities. The analysis reveals that the manipulation of language in the novel reflects the broader postcolonial dynamics in which authority is sustained through rhetorical performance, moral posturing, and cultural negotiation. Ultimately, the study contributes to postcolonial literature by showing how satire effectively portrays the nexus of language, power, and identity in contemporary South Asian and postcolonial political fiction.