ELF Annual Research Journal 22 (2020) 75-90 A Textual Analysis of The God of Small Things- A Citizenship Perspective Ghazal Kazim Syed  , Waseem Hussain Malik  ABSTRACT: This article presents a citizenship analysis of Roy’s novel The God of Small Things. Citizenship is defined in terms of identity, rights and duties of a citizen in any society, as defined by Cogan (1998) which is the theoretical framework used in this study. This study explores how postcolonial fiction can also be studied from citizenship perspective. Through the textual analysis of Arundhati Roy’s novel The God of Small Things, we present a citizenship perspective that lies within the text of the novel. We argue that the citizenship themes of identity, rights and duties are presented throughout the text. My findings suggest that various issues of gender, post-colonialism, social-caste and class can be discussed in the light of Cogan’s citizenship framework. The study has recommendations for future research, teachers and readers of fiction. Keywords: Citizenship, identity, rights, duties, caste, class, fiction Introduction This study analyses Arundhati Roy’s (1997) novel The God of Small Things from a citizenship perspective. Citizenship being the study of identity, rights and duties, as defined by Cogan (1998), is an important perspective that can be observed in literary texts. Many modern novels like The God of Small Things are written from a political perspective and contain political themes. Studying the novel from a citizenship perspective, therefore, can provide new understandings of literature. This study, therefore, aims to answer the research question: How far does Roy represent elements of citizenship in her novel, The God of Small Things? The Novelist Arundhati Roy (1961-present) is an Indian novelist who gained fame as the writer of The God of Small Things, her first novel, in 1997. The novel was an instant  Assistant Professor, Institute of English Language & Literature University of Sindh, Jamshoro (Corresponding author E-mail Address: ghazal.shaikh@usindh.edu.pk)  Assistant Professor, Institute of English Language & Literature University of Sindh, Jamshoro