An Intellectual Exploration of Historicism and New Historicism in Intizar Hussain’s Novel "Basti"

Abstract

Intizar Hussain's novel Basti is a masterpiece of Urdu literature that not only tells the story of an individual but also sums up the historical, cultural and social conflicts of the entire subcontinent. This article presents a critical analysis of the novel Basti in the light of the theories of "Historicism" and "New-Historicism". The novel portrays themes such as the Partition of subcontinent, migration, the crisis of identity, and the collapse of traditional civilization through both personal memory and collective experience. The central character, Zaakir, represents not only individual consciousness but also a collective subconscious that constantly interrogates historical events and their meanings. The purpose of this study is to illustrate how Intizar Hussain treats history not in a conventional way but as an intellectual and cultural experiment. For him, history is not static but a dynamic, ambiguous, and constantly changing phenomenon. This study reveals that Intizar Hussain does not simply recount history; he reshapes it through narrative, turning Basti into a profound philosophical and intellectual reflection on the nature of history itself.