This study presents an intertextual, intercultural, and critical examination of the representation of the West, particularly Europe and America, in Urdu literature. The image of the West in Urdu literary discourse is the result of a long historical interaction shaped by the intellectual tensions of the colonial period, debates on modernity and postmodernity (1), scientific and technological advancement, and political and cultural ideologies. The study analyzes the dominant narratives found in poetry, ghazal, short fiction, novels, travel writing, critical essays, and translated literature in order to explore how Urdu writers have constructed, distorted, or redefined the identity of the West through various semantic and cultural frameworks (2).
The research seeks to answer four fundamental questions: (a) Within what cultural and ideological frameworks is the West represented in Urdu literature? (b) Is the Western world portrayed merely as a civilized, progressive, and scientifically advanced society, or also as a cultural and civilizational challenge? (c) What complexities does the process of translation create in the Urdu interpretation of Western meanings, metaphors, and intellectual references (3)? (d) To what extent is the image of the West in the mind of the Urdu reader a literary construction, and to what extent is it shaped by historical experience (4)?
The findings reveal that the representation of the West in Urdu literature is neither monolithic nor unanimous. Some literary texts appreciate Western intellectual dominance, scientific progress, and institutional organization (5), while others offer strong criticism of the West's perceived spiritual decline, moral crisis, and materialistic orientation (6). Travel narratives are largely observational in nature, where authors praise Western legal systems, research culture, educational achievements, urban civilization, and social discipline, yet simultaneously highlight cultural alienation, loneliness, and civilizational distance (7). In translated literature, numerous semantic shifts and contextual adaptations emerge, providing new interpretive perspectives on the image of the West within the Urdu cultural framework (8).
Overall, the study demonstrates that the West occupies a significant place in Urdu literature as a site of intellectual, literary, and cultural dialogue. This dialogue manifests itself in various forms, including resistance, imitation, and exchange of ideas. The study concludes with recommendations for promoting Translation Studies, Comparative Literature, and Intercultural Criticism at the institutional level so that the interpretive dimensions of the West in Urdu literature may receive further scholarly exploration and critical understanding.
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