File spoon-archives/postcolonial.archive/postcolonial_1998/postcolonial.9801, message 31


Subject: Re: to all you second generation S-Asians out there.
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 10:13:02 +0000 (GMT)
From: "M.K.Miranda" <mkm194-AT-soton.ac.uk>


Hello, Sudip,
I'm a PhD candidate at Southampton University, England.  I'm new to this
discussion group so some kind soul let me know if I'm sending messages
incorrectly.

I'm very fond of Mukherjee's work though I find her a bit bleak.  I can
recommend a novel I came across in and English library:
Love, Stars, and All That, by RK Narayan - no relation, I think.
It's an entertaining, funny novel that still manages to address
important cross cultural issues.  Young woman moves from Bombay to
California, becomes an academic, looks at class issues back home,
struggles with cutting her hair, etc.  It's an antidote to some of the
very heavy, yet important, postcolonial novels.

As I am in England, I do not know if this an obscure recommendation or
something that everyone already knows about.

I'm doing research in cultural hybridity and Bakhtinian heteroglossia in
postcolonial novels 1980 to present, looking at sources as diverse as
Nigeria, Scotland, Caribbean, India and of course Rushdie.

Best wishes, Megan Miranda> 
> Thanks Indira, you're not the only one who seems to have this view of
> Bharati Mukherjee's work. Please explain. I'm unfamiliar with the other
> Indira's writing, but will hunt some of her stuff up. 
> I've found that simple infoseek netsearches are a very helpful way of
> getting to know more about what's around. eg second-generation south asians,
> or diaspora and identity etc etc.
> Anyone else out there? What do you see as the value of post-colonial theory?
> Cheers, Sudip. 
> 
> 
> At 10:52 AM 1/12/98 -0500, you wrote:
> >I, too, am very interested in these questions--and know as yet little about
> >work being done on this field.  However, there are any number of people in
> >this generation who are talking and working on the subject.  Please let me
> >know what you find out.  By the way, I doubt that Mukherjee would have much
> >to offer on this subject, for many reasons.  Have you read Indira Ganesan's
> >novels?  
> >		Indira Karamcheti
> >
> >At 08:23 PM 1/8/98 +1030, you wrote:
> >>>Date: Thu, 08 Jan 1998 11:32:00
> >>>To: postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.com
> >>>From: Sudip Sen <sudip-AT-senet.com.au>
> >>>Subject: to all you second generation S-Asians out there.
> >>>
> >>>Who are the best writers/theorists about us? 
> >>>My answer would be hanif kureishi,... I haven't read any bharati mukherjee
> >>but she seems to be the type of writer I would enjoy.
> >>>then ofcourse there are the exile crowd.. uncle salman and a few
> >>post-colonial theorists.
> >>>
> >>>Does anyone sometimes feel that post-colonial theory can be a little closed
> >>minded sometimes? Ofcourse, it seems the first thing that gets said against
> >>anyone that alleges this is that they are victims of some hegemonic
> >>metanarrative.
> >>>Too simplistic perhaps. I need to be convinced otherwise, and fast. 
> >>>
> >>>I need help in a thesis on identity of second generation South Asians,
> >>Indians - Pakistanis, but ofcourse not limited to them. 
> >>>I enjoy the above writers, but am particularly interested what others in my
> >>position:
> >>>second generation immigrant, born in the US, UK, Canada, Australia,
> >>actually think and relate to their Indianness or whatever.
> >>>I am struggling with the purely cathartic, and seemingly quite angry (Aijaz
> >>Ahmed!!!) theorists who don't seem to be useful. Are there any moderates in
> >>post-colonial theory. I like some of the insights of Orientalism, but want
> >>to talk more about p-col theory (and its appropriation of often reluctant
> >>literature) and the identity questions and struggles that middle-upper class
> >>second generation (our parents were the migrants) diaspora face. 
> >>>Arranged? what do you speak/eat at home? how much do you know, care to
> >>know, about your heritage? how important is it to identify with others in
> >>your situation? etc etc
> >>>
> >>>I hope that interests someone out there!     I'd love to get a response,
> >Sudip.
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     --- from list postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >     --- from list postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> >
> >
> 
> 
> 
>      --- from list postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
> 



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