Nature—Warfare’s Silent Victim in Feryal Ali Gauhar’s No Space for Further Burials

Abstract

The research documents an ecocritical study of Feryal Ali Gauhar’s No Space for Further Burials (2007) using Lawrence Buell’s ecocritical concept of ‘toxic discourse’ which he discusses in Writing for an Endangered World (2001). This research explores the intersection between militarized violence and ecological destruction in the conflicted zones. Set in the war-torn Afghanistan, the narrative exposes the ecological consequences of militarism which lead to deforestation, soil degradation, and toxic contamination. The analysis focuses on militarized ecocide, where environmental degradation becomes a weapon of war, exacerbating human displacement and cultural erasure. The narrator, a nameless captured U.S. medic forced to confront the consequences of militarized violence, becomes a witness to the collapse of ecological and communal systems. The fragmented narrative structure of the novel portrays the fractured relationship between humans and their environment. With the application of ecocriticism, this research highlights Gauhar’s contribution to global environmental literature, urging a reimagining of sustainability through decolonial and anti-militarist lenses. Ultimately, the novel challenges readers to confront the ethical implications of environmental exploitation in conflicted zones, placing itself as a critique of anthropocentric hubris and a calls for ecological accountability.