Number 2 2019 - Page 2

Multiculturalism in Raj Novel: Rereading Paul Scott’s ,em.The Jewel in the Crown

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Bhaskar Chettri1 & Dhananjay Tripathi2

1Research Scholar, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology Sikkim, Orcid Id: 0000-0002-1826-3074. phen16016@nitsikkim.ac.in

2Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology Sikkim, Orcid Id: 0000-0003-0718-1898. dhananjaystripathi9@nitsikkim.ac.in

Volume 11, Number 2, July-September, 2019 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v11n2.11

First published September 30, 2019

Abstract

Paul Scott’s The Jewel in the Crown (1966) is analyzed in the light of multiculturalism, considering different aspects of oriental study, the response to hegemonic belief and the question of the subaltern. Scott traces the essence of understanding among different individuals in the Raj era, missed by many writers writing of that tumultuous phase in Indian history. Aiming at the unification of the binaries, he depicts real picture of India presenting human life in extraordinary situations and comments on the shared experiences of different characters. He traces multiculturalism in the period that witnessed steady growth and evolution of ideas revolving around modernism, colonialism, postmodernism, postcolonialism and nationalism. The cultural mosaic of India is presented in the novel by examining the politics of difference and the politics of recognition. After a long time when the novel is read in the context of colonial and postcolonial study, the present paper attempts to highlight nuances of multiculturalism, where unity is aimed between the East and the West.

Keywords: multiculturalism, orientalism, postcolonialism, Raj novel, Paul Scott

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Queering the City: The Urban Chronicles of Pedro Lemebel

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Neha Tyagi

Ph.D, Department of Germanic & Romance Studies, University of Delhi,

Email:  neyha.tyagi@gmail.com, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-8518-4210

Volume 11, Number 2, July-September, 2019 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v11n2.10

First published September 30, 2019

Abstract

In most of the societies around the world the underrepresentation of transgender and queer people in the spatial structures creates a setting for their subordination and exploitation. Moreover, this social discrimination is reflected in the queer spatial experiences, which are mostly restricted and prohibited, especially in the public spaces/sphere. Recognizing the marginalization and repression of the non-heteronormative queer identities, the paper would like to read on the works of Pedro Lemebel (1952-2015), one of the most prolific writer within the context of the Chilean dictatorship (1973-1990) and post-dictatorship period and understand how his chronicles departs from the oppressed social space of/for queer people to stress on the subversive political strategies and spatial practices or what I call it here as ‘queering’, through which city space(s) could be re-signified by these non-heteronormative sexual and gender identities as a site for their vindication and visibilization.

Keywords: Pedro Lemebel, loca, queering, city, heteronormativity

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Bose: A Tryst with Press and Politics

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Pritha Dutta1 & Rajdeep Roy2

1Ph.D Scholar, Amity University, School of Communication, Uttar Pradesh prithachakraborty712@gmail.com, ORCID: 0000-0002-3994-2084

2Asst. Professor Amity University, rroy@amity.edu, ORCID: 0000-0001-5316-308X

Volume 11, Number 2, July-September, 2019 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v11n2.09

 First published September 30, 2019

 Abstract

The study examines the role of the press as a catalyst in the dominant portrayal of Subhas Bose as the political actor who has been arguably denied his rightful place in the annals of Indian history. The paper investigates the time plane in discourse analysis, the discursive strategies of social actors, and the extra- and supra-textual effects of mediated discourse (Carvalho, 2008) to advocate that press content on Bose is “shaped, pounded, constrained and encouraged by a multitude of forces” (Shoemaker, Reese, 1996). The paper critiques the discourse of The Statesman and Times of India in the light of the socio-political context and the published articles in 2015. This year was instrumental in marking a historical announcement that fundamentally influenced a seventy-year-long dialogue. The paper analyses the re-aligning of the nation’s narrative to create a public consensus incidental to the particular political dispensation of the day. It examines the positioning of Bose as an alternative to the dominant narrative of the national movement with Gandhi and Nehru as central protagonists.

Keywords: Bose, Press, Politics, Critical Discourse Analysis, The Statesman, Times   of India

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Towards a Theory of Graphic Medicine

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Sathyaraj Venkatesan & Anu Mary Peter

1Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India–620015, orcid.org/0000-0003-2138-1263. sathya@nitt.edu,

2Research Scholar, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India–620015, anupeterthekk@gmail.com, orcid.org/0000-0001-6740-8252

Volume 11, Number 2, July-September, 2019 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v11n2.08

First published July 20, 2019

Abstract

As a constructive derivative of several altruistic movements, such as narrative medicine, medical humanities and health humanities, graphic medicine is a nonconformist ideological inverse to the absolutism of medical knowledge. Exposing the limitations of biomedicine, which prioritises the voice of the physician, graphic medicine provides an inclusive approach towards medical conditions through its perspectival richness and experiential realities. Formulated as a means to express the voice of the marginalised community of sufferers, graphic medicine expedites creative and forceful articulation of the narratives of patients and caregivers, which were hitherto discarded as inauthentic by the existing medical system. As a wholesome methodology that equally values the subjective experiences of patients, physicians and caregivers, graphic medicine provides numerous ways of representing affective truths about illness conditions. Thus, by creating a mutually beneficial field of study for both biomedicine and humanities by yoking together medicine and comics, graphic medicine fosters an empathetic attitude towards human conditions. The present chapter traces the evolution of graphic medicine from the historical nexus of comics and medicine, through narrative medicine, to health humanities, and introduces graphic medicine as a cultural alternative to the existing paradigms of medical knowledge. Additionally, this chapter also aims to rationalise the unique aspects and cultural roles of graphic medicine?pedagogical, therapeutic, and community formational.

Keywords: graphic medicine, Comics, illness, Biomedicine.

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Disease, Dislocation and Deprivation in Louise Erdrich’s The Birchbark House: Exposing the White lies of the Civilizing Discourse

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Virender Pal

Department of English, Institute of Integrated and Honors Studies, Kurukshetra University Kurukshetra. ORCID: 0000-0003-3569-1289. Email: p2vicky@gmail.com

Volume 11, Number 2, July-September, 2019 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v11n2.07

First published July 19, 2019

 Abstract

When the colonizers reached America, they came across people who held a totally different view of the world and their surroundings. In their world they were not the masters of the animate and inanimate world, rather they were a part of it. This world view did not conform with the culture of Europe, so they started denigrating them; but the reasons behind denigration of the Natives were deeper as exposed by the narratives of the Native Americans. The whites were not interested in de-culturing or a-culturing the Natives, they were interested in the land occupied by the natives. For usurping the land; they started denigrating the Natives and referred to them as uncivilized barbarians. Some of the narratives even featured them as cannibals. The natives did not have any idea about what was written about them, but now the tide has turned and the Natives have started writing narratives that project their world view. These narratives written by the Natives not only demolish stereotypes, but also try to revive their culture. The Native writers try to reorient the consciousness of the readers and instigate them to uncover the true history of the oppressed people. These kind of texts have been termed as ‘autoethnographic’ narratives. Louise Erdrich is one of the most prominent Native writers who is trying to construct a new identity of her people by scattering the mist created by the colonial narratives. The current paper is a study of Louise Erdrich’s novel The Birchbark House.

Keywords: Colonial, Natives, culture, Ojibwe

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What is Performance Studies?

Richard Schechner Tisch School of the Arts, New York University  Download PDF Version Because performance studies is so broad-ranging and

Natives’ Naivety vis-à-vis Settler’s Skepticism and Bible’s Belief: Restoring, ‘re-storying’ the Native Ceremony in Silko’s Ceremony

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Babita Devi1, Divyajyoti Singh2 & Satinder Kumar Verma3

1Research Scholar, J C Bose University of Science & Technology, Faridabad. Orcid Id: 0000-0002-9699-864X. Email: babitakpunia@gmail.com

2Assistant Professor, J C Bose University of Science & Technology, Faridabad.  

3Assistant Professor, S D College Amabala Cantt.

Volume 11, Number 2, July-September, 2019 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v11n2.06

First published July 19, 2019

Abstract

Missionaries were an important part of the colonizing mission. While the colonial armies committed massacres and subdued the militarily inferior Natives, the missionaries did a long lasting damage to the Native societies by obliterating their cultures. They not only converted the people, but also changed their worldview that was so important to them and the lands they lived in.  The de-culturation of Natives is not only responsible for environmental problems, but also social problems like domestic violence and drinking. Recent studies have indicated that de-culturation of Natives is also responsible for endemic psycho-somatic problems of the Natives. The Native writers have understood that improvement in mental health of the Natives is directly associated with the resuscitation and restoration of Native culture. The literature written by the Natives works like an antidote against the atrocities committed by the whites. Leslie Marmon Silko’s novel Ceremony is an important work of literature that tries to resuscitate the native culture. The current paper is a study of Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony.

Keywords: Ceremony, Native, culture, Christianity.

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What is Performance Studies?

Richard Schechner Tisch School of the Arts, New York University  Download PDF Version Because performance studies is so broad-ranging and

Stereotyping Indigeneity: the Case of Native American

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Svitlana Lyubymova

National Polytechnic University, Odessa, Ukraine. Orchid ID 0000-0001-7102-370x. Email: elurus2006@gmail.com

Volume 11, Number 2, July-September, 2019 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v11n2.05

First published July 19, 2019

Abstract

Raising awareness of indigeneity comes forward with strengthening of cultural globalization. The lack of relevant knowledge of indigenous cultures results in persistent stereotyping. Regarded the representation of an ethnic group, a stereotype is based on implicit assumptions and behavioral implications that are reflected in evaluative characteristics. Stereotypes are spread by mainstream culture through popular media and cinema. This work attempts to profile the stereotype of Indigenous American created by mainstream American culture on the results of qualitative analysis of media discourse. Treated as uncivilized, Native Americans are portrayed as unbending and cruel warriors or as wise and helpful friends of White. America’s attitude to Indians is changing from banishing to extolling. The deconstruction of stereotypes in humanitarian paradigm is the matter of acknowledgment of cultural uniqueness and establishment of social equality.

Keywords: stereotype, Indigenous American, mainstream culture, media discourse.

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Food as a Major Cite for Culture and Identity: A Select Reading of Frances Mensah Williams’ Novel From Pasta To Pigfoot

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Sathiya Priya1 T & Shilaja.C.L2

1Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology. Email: sathiyapriya.english@sathyabama.ac.in

2Stella Maris college for Women

Volume 11, Number 2, July-September, 2019 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v11n2.04

First published July 19, 2019

Abstract

It is an unending attempt for the immigrant community to come out of the entanglement of identity issues, especially in postcolonial settings. Apparently, it appears to be more complicated for the second or third generation subjects of the settler’s family for they have zero firsthand experience of their home culture. Such issues of complicated identity are widely addressed in many of the postcolonial narratives and this paper attempts to trace similar kinds of concerns through the specific lens of food. The reason for which food is chosen as a focal point is that food stands as a striking symbol through which multiple aspects of the society like culture, ethnic identity, gender roles, politics, social order, etc., can be vastly interpreted. The novel From Pasta to Pigfoot written by Frances Mensah Williams has a greater scope on analyzing such concepts of culture and postcolonial identity through the representation of food. A deeper examination on the role of food played at various layers throughout the novel allows us to understand that the concepts revolved around the food like cooking, dining, choice of food,  eating, food manners and many other culinary aspects subject to challenge an individual’s identity at a greater level. This article also seeks to examine the ways in which this complexity of individual identity could be at least balanced if not completely resolved.

Keywords: Food, culture, identity, ethnicity, postcolonial, multiculturalism.

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Reading ‘Pterodactyl, Puran Sahay, and Pirtha’ amongst the Barabaig Tribe of Eastern Tanzania

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Mary Louisa Cappelli

MFA, JD, PhD, Nevada State College. Orchid: 0000-0002-0419-9411. Email: Mary.Cappelli@nsc.edu

Volume 11, Number 2, July-September, 2019 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v11n2.03

First published July 12, 2019

Abstract:

The Barabaig peoples are vulnerable economic and ecological refugees pushed to the furthest corner of the Bosutu Plains of Eastern Tanzania to eke out a subsistence existence amidst encroaching capital and globalizing forces. In many ways, the Barabaig face struggles similar to those encountered by the tribals in Mahasweta Devi’s “Pterodactyl, Puran Sahay, and Pirtha.” In this essay, I offer my own ethnographic research to survey the anguish of the Barabaig peoples who try to hold onto their cultural traditions and ways of life in a world geared towards globalized progress. In so doing, I demonstrate how the construction of tribal songs and mythohistories challenge global dynamics and renegotiate gendered positions within dominantly indigenous patriarchal contested spaces. These powerful stories and songs reflect how indigenous mothers imagine and control their own gendered history and preserve their cultural identity and traditional livelihood.

Keywords: Mahasweta Devi, ‘Pterodactyl, Puran Sahay, Pirtha,’ Mythohistories; indigenous peoples; tribals, Mahasweta Devi; Tanzania; Barabaig; indigenous resistance; environmental sustainability; indigenous story telling, indigenous songs, animism, Gayatri Spivak

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Theorizing Mamanuan Diaspora: from Vanishing Mediator to Performative Indigeneity

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Jan Gresil S. Kahambing

Leyte Normal University, Tacloban City, Philippines, vince_jb7@hotmail.com, ORCID: 0000-0002-4258-0563

Volume 11, Number 2, July-September, 2019 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v11n2.02  

First published July 12, 2019

 Abstract

The Mamanuas of Basey, Samar have been in an itinerant state since the 1950s. Their indigenous experience can be capped in the term ‘diaspora,’ which pictures their plight as dispersive habituation, moving from town to town away from their homeland. In a recent study which this paper hinges upon, the concept of diaspora can no longer work and is argued to imperatively function as a vanishing mediator so that indigeneity must come to mean as a constant identity of becoming. Following from such a theoretical lens, this paper delves again into the concept of ‘diaspora’ in the Mamanuan indigenous experience to argue further that its act of mediating functions as performative indigeneity.  To do this, the paper runs in three parts: first, it plots the Mamanuan diaspora experience; second, it briefly reiterates the core argument of diaspora as vanishing mediator; and finally, it theorizes on a concept of what Judith Butler calls ‘performative indigeneity’ that takes its form from the mediation of an indigenous diaspora experience.

Keywords: Mamanwa, Diaspora, Vanishing Mediator, Performativity, Indigeneity, Butler

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What is Performance Studies?

Richard Schechner Tisch School of the Arts, New York University  Download PDF Version Because performance studies is so broad-ranging and

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