Abstract
This interdisciplinary study investigates how ecosemiotics and cultural expressivity shape rural social narratives in Urdu short stories. By employing a semiotic framework, the research analyzes key signifiers—natural landscapes, agricultural practices, folk rituals, and vernacular symbolism—to reveal how ecological signs articulate communal values, social structures, and environmental awareness. Drawing on ecocriticism, cultural theory, and narrative analysis, the study conducts close readings of selected texts by prominent Urdu writers, including Prem Chand, Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, and Mansha Yaad. The methodology combines semiotic analysis with theoretical synthesis to contextualize rural narratives within broader socio-environmental frameworks. Examination of their depiction of village life showcases a dynamic interplay between human communities and natural environments, where symbolic representations foster cultural resilience and sustainable paradigms. The findings demonstrate that rural social narratives in Urdu fiction not only preserve traditional ecological knowledge but also engage contemporary environmental concerns, constructing narratives of resistance, adaptation, and stewardship. Ultimately, this research underscores the capacity of literary ecologies to inform interdisciplinary dialogues on sustainability and cultural identity, highlighting imaginative ecological praxis approaches.
Author(s):
Asad Mahmood Khan
Associate ProfessorHead Department of Urdu & International Relations Minhaj University, Lahore
Pakistan
- assadphdir@gmail.com
Hafiz Ghulam Murtaza
LecturerDepartment of Urdu Lahore Leads University, Lahore
Pakistan
- Advghulammurtaza728@gmail.com
Details:
| Type: | Article |
| Volume: | 36 |
| Issue: | 26 |
| Language: | Urdu |
| Id: | 6862eb1d2b4fb |
| Published | June 30, 2025 |
Copyrights
| Tahqeq Nama uses Creative Commons license Authors, retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. |
|---|

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.