The Oppressive Present Literature and Social Consciousness in Colonial India
The Oppressive Present Literature and Social Consciousness in Colonial India by Sudhir Chandra, published by Taylor & Francis Group on January 21, 2016, offers a detailed examination of social consciousness in colonial India. This edition spans 238 pages and is presented in English. The book marks a significant shift from traditional studies of history and literature by exploring how colonial influences in the late nineteenth century shaped contemporary literature in various Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, and Marathi.
Readers will find that The Oppressive Present delves into the transformation of identity among colonized Indians, highlighting the enduring impact of colonialism on modern educated Indians. Chandra’s analysis emphasizes ambivalence over binary oppositions, such as communalism versus nationalism, as a crucial framework for understanding this complex consciousness. This cross-disciplinary work is relevant for scholars and students interested in modern Indian history, comparative literature, and post-colonial studies.
Official synopsis Publisher
Marking a departure from studies on history and literature in colonial India, The Oppressive Present explores the emergence of social consciousness as a result of and in response to the colonial mediation in the late nineteenth century. In focusing on contemporary literature in Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, and Marathi, it charts an epochal change in the gradual loss of the old pre-colonial self and the configuration of a new, colonized self. It reveals that the ‘oppressive present’ of generations of subjugated Indians remains so for their freed descendants: the consciousness of those colonized generations continues to characterize the ‘modern educated Indian’. The book proposes ambivalence rather than binary categories – such as communalism and nationalism, communalism and secularism, modernity and tradition – as key to understanding the making of this consciousness.
This cross-disciplinary volume will prove essential to scholars and students of modern and contemporary Indian history and society, comparative literature and post-colonial studies.
Publisher
Topics
FAQ
What is “The Oppressive Present Literature and Social Consciousness in Colonial India” about?
Who is the author of “The Oppressive Present Literature and Social Consciousness in Colonial India”?
When was “The Oppressive Present Literature and Social Consciousness in Colonial India” published?
What is the ISBN for “The Oppressive Present Literature and Social Consciousness in Colonial India”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
