The nation and its discontents : a critique of nationalism in South Asian literature /

209 Pages·2003·8 MB·English

by  Majumdar, Nivedita

THENATIONANDITSDISCONTENTS:ACRITIQUEOFNATIONALISMIN
SOUTHASIANLITERATURE
By
NIVEDITAMAJUMDAR
ADISSERTATIONPRESENTEDTOTHEGRADUATESCHOOL
OFTHEUNIVERSITYOFFLORIDAINPARTIALFULFILLMENT
OFTHEREQUIREMENTSFORTHEDEGREEOF
DOCTOROFPHILOSOPHY
UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDA
2003

FOR
MAANDBABA
WITH
LOVEANDGRATITUDE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
IamcertainthatIamnottheonlyonewho,whilepursuingadoctoraldegree,has
wonderedmorethanonceifandwhenthisdissertationwilleverbecompleted.Sonow,
beingablefinallytoseethelightattheendofthetunnelsoclearly,itgivesmeimmense
pleasuretothankthemanypeoplewhohavemadethismomentpossible.
Asaninternationalstudent,fundingwasnotformeadeterminingfactoronlyinthe
"lastinstance"--!couldnothavestartedmyacademiclifeinthiscountrywithout
financialassistance.IthanktheUniversityofFloridaformyteachingassistantship,the
CLASDissertationFellowshipandtheO'RuthMcQuownScholarship.Iamalso
gratefultotheAmericanAssociationofUniversityWomenfortheverygenerous
IntemafionalFellowship.
Iwasfortunatetohaveanextremelysupportiveandencouragingadvisory
committee.JohnLeavey,mychair,has,withoutexception,beenbothgenerousand
incisivewithhisinputontheproject.Almostallofthisdissertationwaswritten"offsite"
inNewYork,andIcouldnothavedonethiswithouthissupportandunderstanding.
Apartfromthedissertation,hehasalsoalwaysbeenverygivingofhistimeandguidance
onsundryotheraspectsofmygraduatelifeforwhichIsoughthisassistance.Withouthis
support,bothmyexperienceasagraduatestudentatUFandthisprojectwoulddefinitely
havebeenpoorer.Ithankhimforeverything.IamalsogratefultoPhillipWegnerforhis
unfailingenthusiasmforthisdissertationandhissharpinsightsonitsnumerousaspects.
DespiteouroccasionaldifferencesonJameson,oursharedpoliticaloutlookmadethe
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manydiscussionswithPhil-aboutthisprojectandabouttheworldatlarge--both
pleasurableandinstructive.IthankTaceHedrickforherwarmth,supportand
encouragementateverystageofthewritingofthisdissertation.Thisprojecthasgreatly
benefitedfromherinsightsasafeministscholar.Finally,IthankFrederickComeyfor
agreeingtobethe"external"memberonmycommitteeandbeingkindenoughtoread
thedissertationatashortnotice.
IlookbackwithfondnessatmythreeyearsinGainesville.TheDepartmentand
fellowgraduatestudentsmademytimetherelivelyandinteresting.Specialmentionmust
bemadeofmyoffice-mate-tumed-friend,AlanWright.Our"beerandbitching"sessions
duringthoselongsummerafternoonswereasourceofsustenance.TheMarxistReading
Groupprovidedamuch-neededspaceforintellectualstimulationandpolitical
discussions.AspecialwordofthanksgoestoRenukaBisht,whosewarmhospitality
madethemanyvisitsbacktoGainesvilleveryenjoyable.
Mypursuitofadoctoraldegreecameattheendofafairlylongtenureinthe
academicworldinNewDelhi.Mydebttomyteachersfrommyundergraduateyearsat
KirorimalCollege,DelhiUniversity,isimmense.ItisentirelytotheircreditthatIhave
stucktothedisciplineofEnglishandbelievethatitispossibletodomeaningfulworkin
it.Amongothers,BadriRaina,KewalArora,andSomrajGupta--withtheirdeep
commitmenttotheartofteaching,theirbreadthofscholarship,theiramazingabilityto
feelandexciteinterestbymakingtherightconnectionsin(potentially)themostobtuseof
texts-madethethreeyearsofstudyingcanonicalBritishliteratureatremendously
excitingandlivelylearningexperience.Asdoesthisproject,allmyfutureworkasa
scholarandteacherwillhavetheirimprint.Frommysubsequentfiveyearsofgraduate
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studies,alsoatDelhiUniversity,ShirshenduChakravartyandHarishTrivedideserve
specialmention.ShirshenduChakravarty,adedicatedscholarhimself,wasvery
encouragingofmywork.Hetriedtodissuademefromenteringthe"unrigorous"fieldof
postcolonialstudies.Ifhefindsitinhimtoreadthisdissertationsomeday,Ihopehe
wouldnotbetoodisappointed.IamgratefultoHarishTrivediforintroducingcoursesin
postcolonialliteratureandtheoryintowhatwasotherwiseabastionofcanonicalBritish
studies.Hisconfidenceinmywork,asindeedhisrepeatedcomplaintsaboutmywriting
abilities,hasbeenmorehelpfulthanhecouldhaveknown.Ithankhimforhismemorable
comments,suchas"betterawonkysyntaxthanawonkyargument."
TomymanyfriendsovertheyearsinDelhi,Iamindebtedforthekindof
emotionalsupportthatsustainsoneoverthelonghaul.TheyearsatKMCollegewere
spentinthedailycompanyofdearfriendslikeSudiptaSarangi,HarishDamodaran,
ArunaKrishnamurthy,SajlaChawla,ManishaMudgal,RohanD'Souza,Rajesh
MahapatraandMazharAalam,amongothers.Ournumeroussessionsovercoffeeatthe
DelhiSchoolofEconomics,withearnestdiscussionsonjustabouteverythingranging
frompoliticsandreligiontoartandsexuality,havenotonlyprovidedmewitha
storehouseoffondmemoriesbuthavealsomadeaconcreteimpactonmylife.Itwas
duringonesuchsessionthatIremembersuddenlydecidingthatwhateverelseImightdo
inthefixture,Iwouldalwaysbeapartoftheacademicworld.Inhowmanyotherareasof
ouralienatedmodemexistencecanwepursueourinterestsandpassions-whichmay
havenoimmediateutility-andnotfeelguiltyaboutit?Sonow,inafaranddifferentpart
oftheworld,as1continuewithmylifeasascholarandteacher,thoseinitialyearsinthe
academyandthefriendsthatmadethemmeaningfulwillalwaysbeapartofme.
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Thenthereareotherfriends.ArunaKrishnamurthyhasbeenmyclosefriendand
allyforthepastfifteenyears.SheisthemainreasonIappliedtoUF;ourgraduatelifeat
Floridacameattheendofalongandsharedjourney.Perhapstheonlywayofthanking
one'sclosestfriendsisbybelievingthatwhateverelsemayhappen,thefriendshipisfor
goodandIdobelievethat.AtUFImetShaktiJaising,andoverthepastfewyears,after
bothofusmovedfromGainesville,wehavedevelopedacloseandsustainingfriendship.
MyexperienceintheexcitingmegalopolisofNewYorkCitymightwellhavebeen
disturbinglylonesomeifithadnotbeenforElliotPodwiUandAvisLang.Fortheir
affection,theirgenerosity,theirwonderfulfriendship,Ithankthemfromthebottomof
myheart.Ifithadnotbeenforallthesefriends,theessentiallylonelyprocessof
dissertationwritingwouldhavebeenformemuchmorefrightening,anditscompletiona
muchlessrewardingexperience.
Thelovingsupportandencouragementofmyfamilyhasbeenmystrength.1thank
mybrotherandsister-in-law,AmitavandArchana,andmydearanddelightfulnephews,
BabuandTabu,foralltheirlove.Babuhaslongbeenvexedbythequestionofhowhis
aunt,whileanadult,couldstillbeastudentlikehim.HewouldberelievedtoknowthatI
havebeenunburdenedofthatdubioushonor.Mydebttomyparentsisofcourse
immeasurable;Icanonlyacknowledgeaminusculepartofit.Theiranxietyand
trepidationattheprospectofmydeparturetotheUSwereimmense:itwasanotherland,
anotherworld.Despitethat,theyprovidedthesamedisinterestedandcaringsupportfor
myplansfordeparture,andintheyearssincethen,astheyhadateveryotherstepofmy
life.Itistheanticipationoftheirpleasureandprideatthecompletionofthisprojectthat,
morethananythingelse,hasmademeplodonanddothejob.
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Tomybestfriendandfellowtraveler,VivekChibber,Ishouldnottryto
acknowledgemydebtbutsimplyacceptthatitwillgrowwitheachpassingday.Forhis
love,hisconfidenceinmycapacities,hispleasureatallmyachievements,Iamastronger
andperhapsabetterperson.Asforthisproject,hehasbeenapartofitfromitsinitial
conceptualizationtothefinalformattingofthebibliography.Haditnotbeenforhim,this
dissertation,ifwrittenatall,wouldhavebeenmuchpoorer,andmylifemuchless
meaningful.Andfinallythereisourdaughter,Ananya,whowasbomlessthanthree
monthsbeforeIfinishedwritingthisdissertation.Inthedeadline-freeworldof
dissertationwriting,theanticipationofherarrivalmademeworkmuchharderandfaster
thanIwouldhaveotherwise.Afterherbirth,intheblurofsleeplessnightsandwakeful
days,Ihadtofindthetimetogetthelastfewpageswritten.Allmyfriendshadwarned
meofthis.AndyettheyhadforgottentomenUonthat,despiteallthephysicalstrain,my
worldwouldlightupatthesightofasmilefromher.Sohere'stothehopethatsomeday
shereadsthisandletsmeknowhowIcouldhavedoneitbetter.
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5
TABLEOFCONTENTS
gage
* ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER
1 INTRODUCTION 1
2 NATIONALIZINGTHEWOMAN:NATIONANDGENDERINTAGORE'S
THEHOMEANDTHEWORLD 1
t NTahteioWnosrladndin(ITnhteer)HnoatmieonaanlidsmtheWorld 2106
TheHomeinTheHomeandtheWorld 25
II TLuhkeacPosl,itGiacanldhCionatnedxtTagore 2370
NationandGender ^2
i 3 PARTITIONEDCOMMUNITIES:THENATIONANDITSRELIGIOUS
MINORITIES 51
; ICnotmromduunctailonismanditsConstruction ^512
; PartitionNarratives 55
PartitionLiterature 57
PostcolonialityandthePoliticsofReligiousIdentity 72
MinoritiesinthePostcolonialSubcontinent 82
I 4 "IDON'TKNOWCOUNTRY":THENATIONANDITSDISPOSSESSED 966
Gandhivs.Ambedkar 977
DoulotiandtheNation'sOutcastes 1088
PterodactylasaTaleofTwoNations 1211
5 SPEAKINGWITHAFORKEDTONGUE:NATIONALISMININDIAN
ENGLISHLITERATURE 1366
ThePoliticsofEnglishLanguage 1388
ix
-1
Lit.Crit.oflEL ^422
NationalisminlEL ^^^^
The(Il)legitimacyofNationalism 1522
WhoseNationisitAnyway?-SalmanRushdie 1577
TheNationandtheWorld-AmitavGhosh 1688
Conclusion:NationalConsciousnessSansNationalism 1811
AFTERWORD ^^^^
LISTOFREFERENCES l^^^
BIOGRAPHICALSKETCH 1966
'1
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