ARCHIVAL SILENCE AND FORENSIC MEMORY: CONTESTING TRUTH IN ANIL’S GHOST WITHIN POSTCOLONIAL SRI LANKA
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This paper examines the tension between archival silence and forensic memory in Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje, situating the novel within the violent socio-political landscape of postcolonial Sri Lanka. Archival silence is understood as the systematic erasure, omission, or suppression of marginalized voices within official state records, particularly in contexts marked by political conflict and institutional control. In contrast, forensic memory emerges as a counter-discursive practice that seeks to reconstruct suppressed histories through scientific investigation, material evidence, and interpretive recovery. The novel foregrounds this dynamic through its focus on forensic experts who attempt to identify victims of state violence, thereby challenging the authority of official narratives and exposing the fragility of institutional truth.
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Reddy, M. S. (2026). Archival Silence and Forensic Memory: Contesting Truth in Anil’s Ghost within Postcolonial Sri Lanka. International Journal of Science, Strategic Management and Technology, 02(03). https://doi.org/10.55041/ijsmt.v2i3.283
Reddy, Murthy. "Archival Silence and Forensic Memory: Contesting Truth in Anil’s Ghost within Postcolonial Sri Lanka." International Journal of Science, Strategic Management and Technology, vol. 02, no. 03, 2026, pp. . doi:https://doi.org/10.55041/ijsmt.v2i3.283.
Reddy, Murthy. "Archival Silence and Forensic Memory: Contesting Truth in Anil’s Ghost within Postcolonial Sri Lanka." International Journal of Science, Strategic Management and Technology 02, no. 03 (2026). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.55041/ijsmt.v2i3.283.
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