CULTURE, HISTORY AND POLITICS: South Asian Narratives

Culture, History and Politics: South Asian Narratives is a collection of essays which explore the region’s shared pasts, formulative histories and its plural culture. Despite the distinctiveness of each people and nation, the spilling over of religions and languages across political borders weaves a complex web of commonalities. The contributors to this volume have discussed issues such as aesthetics, the coming into being of new faiths, encounters with outsiders as the people have journeyed through conflicts of various kinds and the need and impact of philosophies such as Sufism. Contemporary socio-political concerns also claim attention as the writers explore histories of conflict – wars both global and local – and processes of recovery and rehabilitation. Gender issues are another area which open discourses of social oppression, art forms, creativity and cultural differences. As the writers engage with them, they bring to the discussion their own experiences, memories and perspectives. The persistence of old hostilities, the almost invisible shifts of power, the changing social and artistic concerns all find a place in these discussions, opening out new areas of insight and understanding. The present volume’s special significance lies in the comparative perspective that these eminent scholars from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India engage with. The essays, both individually and collectively, are a valuable contribution to South Asian Studies, an area whose strategic importance has long been on the political map. As such the book will be of great interest and use to research scholars and academicians of Comparative Literature, Cultural and Interdisciplinary Studies.