Ecological Memory Consciousness: A Sense of Place Attachment in Uzma Aslam Khan’s The Story of Noble Rot

Abstract

 In recent years, ecological memory studies have experienced a turning towards place attachment as a significant concern of human consciousness. This growing field of eco-memory studies has notably enriched “our understanding of how memories of ecological change promote a stronger sense of connectedness”1 with place attachment. This attachment functions as the basis for place-based narratives, but these narratives comprise eco-consciousness with nature attachment. Ecological memory refers to a community’s collective knowledge and experiences about its environment, including the natural and cultural elements. Moreover, it highlights significant nomadic cultural practices that uphold cultural unity and produce rural images of places to preserve a shared sense of place value despite being settled far from it. This memory is essential in maintaining the ecological balance of an area and preserving its cultural heritage. In this article we apply ecological memory as a theoretical framework to examine Uzma Aslam Khan’s The Story of Noble Rot (2009), using an ecocritical lens. We affirm that the novel’s progressive moments endorse biodiversity conservation, environmental sustainability, and present a novel depiction of the Cholistan Desert in Pakistan as a place of eco-memory, eco-nostalgia, and eco-trauma, illustrating this canopy location.