# From Zenana to courtroom: the politics of genre and gender in Sujata Massey’s historical crime fiction

## TL;DR

This paper explores how Sujata Massey's historical crime fiction reflects colonialism and gender dynamics in 1920s India.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a new analysis of Massey's work through Homi K. Bhabha’s theories of hybridity and the third space.

## Key findings

- Massey’s protagonist embodies the duality of traditional Indian culture and a westernized legal system.
- The novel critiques colonial violence and its impact on Indian society and culture.
- The analysis highlights the hybrid legal system as a site of cultural and political struggle.

## Abstract

In the contemporary era, numerous works on the genre of detective fiction have been published by women writers. Most of the works are reflections of colonialism and its outcome and play a significant role in the formation of postcolonial consciousness. These works not only emphasise the colonial violence but also challenge to question the barrier between culture and orientalism. Sujatha Massey’s work A Murder on Malabar Hill (2018) anchors on colonial violence and its effect on the Indian culture and society. This article analyses Massey’s text from the perspective of colonialism. It employs Homi K. Bhabha’s theory of “third space” and “hybridity,” comprehending the protagonist’s embodiment of duality, traditional Indian culture, and the westernized legal system; a hybrid legal system in which colonial laws intersect with local customs. It thus delves into Massey’s description of mystery in the socio-political scenario of 1920s Bombay, as well as a poignant scrutiny of the struggles and upheavals taking place in colonial India.