OTHERNESS AND TRAVEL: MORTENSON’S THREE CUPS OF TEA

Abstract

This study investigates the construction of “Other” in American writer, Greg Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea (2006). The study reveals how Mortenson as a western Other, constructs the identity of Pakistani people during his travel and stay in Pakistan. For a detailed analysis, the underlying approach or theoretical framework was Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978), a foundational work on the genre of travel writing’s relation to the colonial project. Otherhood and identity construction has never been studied in travel literature written about Pakistan, which makes this research work a ground-breaking study addressing a genuine issue. To seek detailed answers, the data was analyzed qualitatively using Braun and Clarke’s Reflexive Thematic Analysis. The research has treated the logic of difference and othering operated by the western view as it has focussed on the construction and treatment of the Other (Pakistanis). The study reveals the Othering of the native population by Mortenson, both consciously as well as unconsciously. Classification of himself into a category different from natives has been seen as the natives have been presented as primitive and conservative throughout the travelogue. Othering Pakistanis on the basis of their religion has also been observed.

Keywords: Construction, Other,  Identity  Travel literature, Travel and Identity: constructing the Other in Three Cups of Tea.