Volume VI Special Issue VI September 2026

Name of Author : Arunvishnu U, Dr. Alex E R

Title of the paper : Re imagining Human Exceptionalism through Alternative Truths: Constructing a Posthuman Narrative in S.Hareeshs Adam

Abstract: Representations of animals in contemporary Indian fiction increasingly challenge anthropocentric assumptions that privilege humanism. S. Hareeshs short story Adam offers a significant instance of this shift by attributing dogs with subjectivity, thereby unsettling conventional notions of human exceptionalism. Rather than functioning as anthropomorphic figures, the dogs emerge as autonomous beings whose actions expose the limits of human centered knowledge and ethics. Episodes involving the canines olfactory intelligence, unwavering emotional attachment, symbolic journey, and assertion of freedom reveal alternative ways of knowing that human characters either dismiss or reinterpret to preserve their privileged status. The paper argues that the persistence of human supremacy in the story is sustained not through empirical evidence but through myths, selective narratives, and ideological beliefs that resemble the logic of post-truth. Heroic legends surrounding humans, the erasure of canine contributions, and the rationalisation of human cruelty illustrate how cultural narratives continue to legitimise dominance despite repeated contradictions. By reading Animal Studies alongside Post-humanism, the paper demonstrates how the former foregrounds the agency and lived experiences of the dogs, while the latter explains the decentering of the human subject within the narrative. It concludes that Adam employs alternative truths not merely as a narrative device but as a means of exposing the constructed nature of human supremacy and imagining a more ethically inclusive understanding of the human animal relationship.

Keywords : Animal Studies, Post humanism, Human Exceptionalism, Alternative Truths, Post truth

DOI :

Page Number : 279-283