Postcolonialism Now introduces a new method of decolonial reading and criticism. It critically examines the history and ongoing influence of colonialism and imperialism in postcolonial cultures and texts. The volume seeks to address the crucial question of how to read postcolonial literatures closely and comparatively, particularly through the lenses of decolonisation and anticolonialism. Through rubrics such as migration, ecology, trauma, minorities and futurity, Postcolonialism Now engages with close readings of films, graphic novels, fiction, theatre and poetry from across the globe.
“This is an elegantly written book which deftly weaves together the most important thinking on anticolonialism, postcolonialism and decolonisation with sophisticated comparative readings of important literary texts from across the globe. With clarity and insight, Bhattacharya elaborates both the vital political and historical issues at stake in the world we now live in as well as the lasting importance of the literary in addressing them. This book is essential reading for those teaching and researching these issues.” — Professor Priyamvada Gopal, Professor of Postcolonial Studies, University of Cambridge
“The book is a reminder that despite differences, the decolonial and the postcolonial work towards the shared ambition of imagining futures beyond the colonial/imperial gaze. The uniqueness of the volume lies in its rich contribution both at empirical and theoretical levels.”— Professor Nishat Zaidi, Department of English, Jamia Milia Islamia
“Postcolonialism Now persuasively argues that we should all be 'reading for decolonising': that is, reading so that we can link past struggles to our present moment and take part in those to come. Richly contextualized, lucidly argued, and historically and materially grounded, this is committed criticism of the best kind.” — Dr Anna Bernard, Reader in Comparative Literature and English, King's College London
“The most fascinating hallmark of the book – its comprehensive engagement with foundational and existing theoretic icons in this field, amplified further through the inclusion of new critical voices from the Global South. The book, a must read for anyone looking for new directions and relevance for postcolonial studies in the current conjuncture.” – Professor Anindya Purakayastha, Institute of Language Studies and Research, Kolkata, and Kazi Nazrul University
The Series: Literary/Cultural Theory provides concise, lucid and nuanced analyses of a range of key concepts, theorists and texts in contemporary literary and cultural theory.
The Series Editor: Sumit Chakrabarti is Professor, Department of English at Presidency University, Kolkata.
The Author: Sourit Bhattacharya is a Lecturer in Global Anglophone Literatures at the University of Edinburgh.
Series Editor’s Preface Acknowledgements
1. The Decolonising Impulse in Postcolonial Studies, or, Why Now? 2. Minorities: Nation, Caste, Race and Sexuality in Bama, Kay and Brand 3 Migrations: Slavery, Diaspora and Refuge in McQueen, Hamid, Adichie and Bui 4. Traumas: Genocide, Sexual Violence, Exile and Solidarity in Raihan, Nottage and Darwish 5. Ecologies: Extraction, Hunger, Epidemics and Care in Devi, Mpe and Senior 6. Futures: Utopia, Dystopia and Planetarity in Rokeya, Padmanabhan and Okorafor
Conclusion: Postcolonial Studies in a Post-COVID World