THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF GLOBALISATION IN THE NOVELS OF MOHSIN HAMID

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56815/IRJAHS.v2026i1.127-133

Abstract

Mohsin Hamid’s novels critique the socio-economic and political anxieties of a globalised world. By contrasting pre- and post-9/11 landscapes, the study explores the predatory attitudes of the elite, the ruthless corporate takeover of institutions, and the chilling rise of a pervasive surveillance apparatus. In Moth Smoke, Hamid depicts a late-1990s Lahore defined by stark class divides, where nuclear testing backdrop mirrors a volatile economic climate. Here, the wealthy elite exhibit a predatory consumerism, effortlessly swallowing smaller enterprises and leaving the marginalized to navigate a rigged financial system. This corporate ruthlessness evolves into a systemic geopolitical force in The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Through the protagonist Changez's work at a premier valuation firm, the novel exposes the "fundamentals" of global capitalism—a cold, profit-driven ideology that demands the merciless restructuring and dismantling of companies regardless of human cost. Following the tragedy of September 11, this aggressive economic model seamlessly merges with a hyper-vigilant political atmosphere. The research analyses how Hamid portrays the immediate shift from corporate exploitation to state-sanctioned suspicion, cultural displacement, scathing indictment of how globalized capitalism and state surveillance work in tandem to commodify human lives and enforce a neo-imperial order.