Texts of Power: Emerging Disciplines in Colonial Bengal (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780816626878)

The case of Bengal illustrates the interaction of colonialism and modernity.

Bengal was the first "modern" province in India-the first, that is, to undergo a forced encounter with Western modernity. Beginning with this premise, the writers in Texts of Power consider what the case of Bengal says about the workings of Western modernity in a colonial setting.

A truly interdisciplinary effort, this collection probes questions of pedagogy, nationalism, and gender. Among the subjects explored are colonialist and nationalist surveillance of Bengali literature; the disposition of the nation's art; the politics of child-rearing; the mapping of Calcutta; and the disciplining of historical memory. By applying the theoretical insights of recent historical and cultural studies to the specific circumstances of Bengal, the authors develop a new approach to Indian intellectual and cultural history. Their work makes a significant contribution to our understanding of contemporary intellectual modernity.

Contributors: Pradip Kumar Bose, Keya Dasgupta, Tapati Guha-Thakurta, all at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta; Tapti Roy, Maharani Kashiswari College, Calcutta; Ranabir Samaddar, Maulana Azad Institute of Asian Studies.

Author: Partha Chatterjee
ISBN-10: 0816626871
ISBN-13: 9780816626878
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
Language: English
Published: 11/07/1995
Pages: 232
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.71lbs
Size: 8.97h x 5.84w x 0.49d