Ethnic Anxiety in the novels of Bapsi Sidhwa

Abstract This paper examines ethnic anxiety in the novels of Bapsi Sidhwa with particular reference to the marginal position of the Parsi community and other ethnic groups represented in her fiction. Drawing upon novels such as The Crow Eaters, Ice-Candy Man (Cracking India), The Pakistani Bride, and An American Brat, the study explores how cultural insecurity, communal violence, gender discrimination, and diasporic displacement shape ethnic consciousness. Sidhwa presents ethnic anxiety as a persistent psychological condition rather than a momentary response to crisis. By employing satire, child narration, and realistic social detail, she exposes how minority communities struggle to preserve identity in hostile or rapidly changing environments.