Perpetuation or subversion : a study on the track of imperialism and nationalism in Anglo-Indian and Indo-Anglian literature, 1857-1947

Abstract

This study proposes to track two great movements: Imperialism and Nationalism, through a number of literary texts written by English and Indian authors. With three exceptions, the texts originated in English. In the three exceptions, the translations from Bengali to English either were made by the Indian author himself or were entrusted to another Indian author and could therefore be considered as having a similar lineage. The study aims to look at the two themes: Imperialism manifested in the Raj, and Nationalism conceived and lived in India, as treated by the two literature blocks: Anglo-Indian, and Indo-Anglian. The study also aims to try to understand, not only the end result, but also the genealogies, the spirit, the experiences, the agendas, of the two literature blocks that contributed to that result; whether these features were subtle and evasive, or declared and ostentatious. The research sees the two literature blocks as far from watertight compartments, and it looks for natural, incidental, and unavoidable interactions between them, as well as more deliberate and structured encounters. The research acknowledges all the time that the study may delve deep into the texts; go back and revise views; seek the opinion of several others; use the information provided by other areas of study like history, but what it presents is still, and will always be, its findings, and not much else than its resourced interpretation.