Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language and Literature

The Inseparability of Postcolonial Studies from Palestine: Reflections on Edward Said

Md. Mahmudul Hasan — 2024-06-26

The plight of Palestinians in Palestine and in the diaspora is a result of Israeli settler colonialism. Israel’s atrocious behaviour to colonised Palestinians is manifested through a myriad of crimes such as blockading occupied territories, demolishing homes, educational institutions, hospitals, and places of worship, restricting their movements, cutting power and communication, killing rampages, massacres to the extent of genocide, and other gruesome violations of human rights – all designed to force Palestinians off their lands and to eventually occupy them. Among academic disciplines, postcolonialism is most relevant to the discourse of Israel and Palestine and most promising to the cause of justice and the promotion of human rights in the region. In this essay, I argue that, owing to Edward Said’s pioneering role in the development of postcolonial studies, the origin of this intellectual and literary movement is traced back to Palestinian resistance to Israeli colonisation. Therefore, practitioners of this decolonial discourse are in principle obligated to address the issue of Palestinian liberation from Israeli colonial oppression. Later in this essay, I also offer a cursory glance at some remarks of Salman Rushdie on the Israel-Palestine issue and discuss a perceived need for decolonising postcolonial studies.

Devadasi and Violence in Sisir Das’ A Bride for Jagannatha and Maya Goray’s Devadasi

Neha Rohilla — 2024-06-26

Devadasi, a socio-cultural-religious system in India, involved ritualistic dedication of young girls to temples. Violent, exploitative, and subjugating, it was a tool of gender discrimination. Though this patriarchal tradition bestowed upon devadasi woman a notional status of a deity, in reality, it ended up objectifying them. Devadasi thus evolved as a double-edged oppressive, a culturally sanctioned power and economic practice. The present paper attempts to explore various nuances of direct and structural violence ranging from physical violence, sexual assault, psychological trauma, societal stigmatisation to political ostracisation through a critical reading of Sisir Das’ A Bride for Jagannatha and Maya Goray’s Devadasi. Since the system was fundamentally established on religious principles, devadasi women find it challenging to seek legal interventions against institutionalised assault and oppression. The present paper investigates how the system, overtime, impacts the physical and psychological realities, and the onerous difficulties that they encounter in their attempts to break free from this oppressive and dehumanising cycle.

Gender Identity and Cognition in Bangla Nursery Rhymes

Mst. Anjuman Ara — 2024-06-26

This paper examines the construction of male and female identities and gender cognition in Bangla nursery rhymes. Data include 34 selected rhymes, which were analysed following a qualitative content analysis method. The findings reveal both essentialist and non-essentialist gender constructions in the rhymes. On one hand, unlike men, women have less freedom of action, decision-making power, equal rights, and facilities for their physical and mental development, and on the other hand, there are also gender inclusive rhymes that acknowledge (young) women’s physical mobility, agency, and socio-economic contributions. Mothers are essentially represented as diligently and positively responsive to both daughters and sons, while girls’ health and creativity are highlighted in the modern rhymes. Thus, Bangla nursery rhymes reflect diversified gender identities and beliefs that encapsulate both traditional and emerging male and female roles.

Women’s Quest for Home: Spatial Imaginary in Kazuo Ishiguro’s A Pale View of Hills

Xu Ling — 2024-06-26

Unhomely homes have been a recurring theme in Kazuo Ishiguro’s novels, and his debut novel, A Pale View of Hills (1982), is no exception. While previous research has primarily focused on themes such as displacement, alienation, and trauma in the novel, limited attention has been given to exploring the social-spatial and gendered spatial factors contributing to this sense of homelessness. This paper examines the meanings of home in A Pale View of Hills by drawing upon Blunt’s and Dowling’s concept of home as a spatial imaginary. It argues that the idea of home in the post-war Japanese discourse is actively challenged and reshaped by the female characters in Ishiguro’s novel. This dynamic process encompasses three facets: materially, it includes the destruction of homes, the Westernisation of domestic space, and gendered space and domesticity; imaginatively, it involves long-lasting trauma and repression; and relationally, it signifies the transformation of home from unhomely to a homely one. This paper aims to provide a spatialised and politicised understanding of home in A Pale View of Hills, fostering a more dynamic view of women’s identity construction.

Medieval European Witchcraft and the Perception of Women in Select Philippine Short Stories

Rhodora Magan — 2024-06-26

This study addresses the persistent narrative of witchcraft-related violence in the contemporary era by delving into its historical root – the medieval practice of witch-hunts. It investigates gendered motifs linked to women accused of witchcraft and sorcery, using Morgan le Fay in Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur as a reference. By examining gender stereotypes, we aim to demonstrate how medieval European concepts of witchcraft and sorcery have become entrenched in modern perceptions of women. This investigation employs Philippine literary texts – The Witch by Edilberto Tiempo and May Day Eve by Nick Joaquin, characterising women exhibiting postcolonial dispositions. Our central hypothesis holds that these contemporary stories adapt the medieval classic. The findings point to the medieval traces in the characters of Minggay and Agueda, leading to their societal categorisation as metaphorical witches. Textual analysis exemplifies strategies such as “un/belonging” the self to demonstrate “herstory,” acknowledging one's beliefs to express innate tendencies, and challenging social structures to promote reclamation of oppressive structures. This study contributes to understanding the challenged “mythical” nature of women’s identity in the modern era. Hence, the adaptive platform of medieval European influence lends support to stabilising women’s positionality rather than their essentiality.

Beyond the Organic: Rupturing Maternal Constructs and Female Cyborg Identity in S.B. Divya’s Machinehood

Azra Akhtar — 2024-06-26

This research paper delves into the nuanced portrayal of female cyborg identity and its intersection with motherhood in S.B. Divya’s novel Machinehood. Drawing inspiration from Donna Haraway’s foundational work “A Cyborg Manifesto,” we examine how Divya’s narrative navigates the complex interplay between technology and gender within the context of a futuristic society. Haraway’s concept of cyborgism serves as a theoretical framework to analyse the multifaceted nature of female cyborg characters in Machinehood. The paper explores how these characters negotiate the boundaries between the organic and the artificial, challenging traditional notions of femininity and motherhood. Haraway envisions the cyborg as a hybrid entity with the potential to subvert normative categories that becomes a lens through which we scrutinise the female cyborgs’ agency in shaping their identities and relationships. Central to our analysis is the examination of motherhood in the context of technological augmentation. In conclusion, the present paper aims to contribute to the evolving area of scholarship on science fiction literature, feminist theory, and cyborg studies. By leveraging Haraway’s ground breaking ideas, we illuminate the significance of female cyborg identity and its portrayal in Machinehood, shedding light on the transformative potential of technology in reshaping traditional gender norms and familial structures.

Postcolonial Ecofeminism in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things

Antara Saha — 2024-06-26

Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things illustrates ecofeminism by creating hierarchical dualisms and identifying the victims within these structures. Ecofeminism in a postcolonial context analyses the intertwined systems of oppression that arise from the intersection of colonialism, patriarchy, and environmental exploitation. It explores how patriarchal domination and capitalist patriarchy together impact the postcolonial environment and its people. Thus, both ecological and feminist issues highlight the locus of the ‘Other’ or the ‘Subaltern,’ who are exploited by the ‘Superior Self’ in terms of class, caste, race, and gender in postcolonial society. Arundhati Roy exposes how the patriarchal structure of Syrian Christian society exacts a heavy toll on the protagonist Ammu, her children Estha and Rahel, and the untouchable Velutha. She also illustrates how capitalist patriarchy impacts the nature and environment of Ayemenem. Based on Roy’s novel, this essay will discuss concerns and consciousness against various injustices in postcolonial Indian society.

“The Creative Journey is all about Conquering New Frontiers”: In Conversation with Kaiser Haq

Amit Bhattacharya — 2024-06-26

In this interview, Bangladeshi Anglophone poet, translator, and critic Kaiser Haq discusses diverse aspects of his writings and concerns. First of all, he talks about his recently published poetry collection, The New Frontier & Other Odds and Ends in Verse and Prose. Then, he dwells upon the charms and challenges of conquering new frontiers during his long poetic journey, his distinguished career as an academician, his role as an essayist and his work as a translator. He gives his opinion about the tradition of Bangladeshi Anglophone poetry and sheds light on his stance as a poet-witness and as a social critic. His representation of aberrant figures, debt to Bengal’s rich folk heritage, transformation of mundane observations to socio-political musings, and exploration of issues like identity and the environment come to the fore in course of the conversation. He spells out his poetic standpoint on issues like tradition and modernity, love and sex, religion and ethnicity, and diversity and unity. He takes pains to explain how his poetry testifies to Bangladesh’s evolution over the years through all the ups and downs. He points out how exposure to other climes and cultures and love for his own country and country people complement each other to create his poetic credo. Later, he elaborates on his attitude to memory and the media. He reveals his perspectives on poetic craftmanship and stylistic innovation. The interview wraps up with an enduring message from Kaiser Haq the poet for his readers.

Md. Mahmudul Hasan & Abdul Rashid Moten (eds.), Journey to Islamicisation of Human Knowledge: A Festschrift in Honour of Mohd. Kamal Hassan

Khairil Husaini Bin Jamil — 2024-06-26

Kaiser Haq, The New Frontier & Other Odds and Ends in Verse and Prose

Ian Almond — 2024-06-26

Mohammad A. Quayum and Md. Mahmudul Hasan (ed.), Bangladeshi Literature in English: Critical Essays and Interviews

Shamsad Mortuza — 2024-06-26

Radha Chakravarty, ed. Mahasweta Devi: Writer, Activist, Visionary

Himadri Lahiri — 2024-06-26

Qurratulain Hyder, At Home in India: Stories. Memoirs. Portraits. Interviews , Trans. Fatima Rizvi & Sufia Kidwai.

Debalina Banerjee — 2024-06-26

Ranu Uniyal and Fatima Rizvi (Eds.), Understanding Disability: Interdisciplinary Critical Approaches

Raj Gaurav Verma — 2024-06-26

Sutapa Dutta and Shivangini Tandon (Eds.) Making the ‘Woman’: Discourses of Gender in 18th-19th- Century India

Tauseef Fatima — 2024-06-26

Angshuman Kar, ed., Divided: Partition Memoirs from Two Bengals

Debottama Ghosh — 2024-06-26

Judith Misrahi-Barak, Ritu Tyagi, and H. Kalpana Rao (Eds), Kala Pani Crossings, Gender and Diaspora: Indian Perspectives

Sarmistha Mondal — 2024-06-26

Meenakshi Malhotra, Krishna Menon, and Rachana Johri (Ed.), The Gendered Body in South Asia: Negotiation, Resistance, Struggle

Vinita Chandra — 2024-06-26

Subhadeep Ray and Goutam Karmakar, Modernist Transitions: Cultural Encounters between British and Bangla Modernist Fiction from 1910s and 1950s.

Arpita Ghatak — 2024-06-26

Abdullah Khan, A Man from Motihari

Samim Haidar — 2024-06-26

Haikus for Palestine

Muhamad Lothfi Zamri — 2024-06-26

A Pariah Puppy

Pulkita Anand — 2024-06-26

Forgotten Country

Jan Janaan — 2024-06-26