Polycrisis: An Ecocritical and Historical Reading of Amitav Ghosh's Gun Island

This research article aims to examine the cascading crises presented in Amitav Ghosh’s novel “Gun Island.” It centres around the different crises resulting from the impacts of colonialism, migration, climate change and pervasive inequalities. Amitav Ghosh’s novels are known for the amalgamation of historical events, cultural elements and present-day concerns over the nation. Ghosh is a postcolonial writer and conservationist. His works transcend national and geographical boundaries. It links the past colonial histories with present global vulnerabilities and offers a clear understanding of the connection between humans and nature. The reading of the novel in polycrisis perspective is primarily based on Edgar Morin’s concept to justify the incidents and conflicts faced by the characters. By foregrounding the journey of characters like Deen, Nilima Moyna, Tipu, Rafi, Piya, and Cinta, the research paper elucidates how ecological migration, migration, trafficking, refugee crisis and forcing individuals into a precarious loop of displacement and exploitation in the Anthropocene.