Dystopian Visions of Neo-Feudal India: Capital, Caste, and Authoritarianism in Post-Millennial Fiction

Peer-Reviewed
The Criterion

The Criterion: An International Journal in English ISSN: 0976-8165

Open Access

Indian Literature

Dystopian Visions of Neo-Feudal India: Capital, Caste, and Authoritarianism in Post-Millennial Fiction

Jharna Malaviya
Volume / Issue
Vol. 17, Issue 1 · February 2026

Pages
394-421

Article ID
2026V17N1105

Abstract

Neo-feudalism has become an increasingly visible formation shaping the contours of post-millennial global capitalism. Recent dystopian fiction, with its scepticism toward authoritarian power and its interrogation of technological progress, has offered compelling visions of this emerging world order. This paper identifies a significant gap in scholarship concerning how contemporary Indian dystopian writing engages with neo-feudal transformations across social, political, and economic spheres, and how these developments reconfigure state power. Drawing on key theoretical accounts of neo-feudalism, the study outlines its central features and examines their literary manifestations in Indian speculative fiction.

Keywords

Neo‑feudalismIndian dystopian fictioncapitalismcorporate hegemonycasteauthoritarianism

Article History

Received
31 January 2026
Accepted
13 February 2026
Published Online
28 February 2026

How to Cite

Jharna Malaviya. “Dystopian Visions of Neo-Feudal India: Capital, Caste, and Authoritarianism in Post-Millennial Fiction.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 1, Feb. 2026, pp. 394-421. ISSN: 0976-8165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n1.29

Back to Vol. 17, Issue 1 · February 2026 The Criterion · ISSN 0976-8165

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