Postcolonial literature is a genre that focuses on the narratives of countries after gaining freedom from other countries. The original postcolonial novels told the stories of India, Africa, and the Caribbean after each became free from colonization. Since then, the genre has expanded and recognizes colonization’s impact worldwide from Latin America to Ireland and Oceania.

Some common themes in postcolonial literature include otherness (the sense that a place or people are outside of a standard) and revolution. Challenges faced by characters even after their country’s liberation include systems of oppression where one set of values is believed to be better than another. Edward Said, a Palestinian scholar who helped create the field of postcolonial studies, calls this idea “cultural imperialism.” Hand in hand with theories like Marxism, for example, postcolonial literature examines the complicated dynamic between the oppressors (or the bourgeoisie) and the oppressed (or the proletariat).

One of the primary tensions that appears throughout Nectar in a Sieve is between native Indians and the white people who continue to oppress them. While some characters like Kenny are portrayed more positively, conflicts still arise from cultural differences and the push for progress while India is determining its postcolonial identity.