Akshaya Kumar – författare

Provincializing Bollywood argues that Bhojpuri cinema exemplifies the overflow of a provincial derivative form that defies its place in the given scheme of things. Situating it at the intersection of vernacular media production and the infrastructural-political reordering of provincial north India, the book shows that Bhojpuri media's characteristic 'disobedience' is marked by a libidinal excess - simultaneously scandalizing and moralizing - to address the inexact calculi of Bhojpuri speaking region's'underdevelopment'. Bhojpuri media therefore demands that it is assessed not merely for its internal content but within the comparative media crucible, marked by interpenetrating forms and histories as diverse as those of ecological distress, musical traditions, gendered segregation, real estate, urban resettlements, and highway modernities. Foregrounding the libidinal excess, language politics, and curatorial informalities, Provincializing Bollywood synthesizes Bhojpuri media's spectacular public insubordination and its invocation of a shared debt, which is by no means regional in its provenance.

This book maps the journey of the Indian poetic imagination—in Hindi, Panjabi and Indian English—from its original quasi-spiritual longings to its activist interventions in the public domain. As Indian poetry of the post-1990s gravitates towards a non-Orientalised postcolonial nationalism, it seeks to rewrite and disseminate the shifting coordinates of nationalist imagination in terms of the dissent of the subaltern discontents of the nation.The book is interdisciplinary: it studies Indian poetry from the new emerging imperatives of postcolonialism, new historiography (subaltern, dalit and diasporas), nationalism, and cultural studies. Covering the two major north Indian languages—Hindi and Punjabi—along with poetry in Indian English, the book is a close textual study of about 150 poetry collections in these languages. It is path-breaking in its study of secular poetry written in the so-called vernaculars, with critical attention to its participation in the political as well as cultural processes of nation-making.This cutting-edge book should be of interest to scholars of Indian writings in English, Hindi and Panjabi, gender studies, dalit and diaspora studies, postcolonial poetry and to students reading South Asian literature and culture.

The volume examines popular sensibilities via textual, visual, performative, spatial, digital frames of inquiry and critical social-political issues in South Asia. It highlights the interface between cultural studies and its popular-political standpoints and interrogates the kaleidoscope of popular imaginary as well as its conceptual problematics through distinct case studies from the region. It leads learners towards the unfounded territories of popular culture studies in South Asia. With chapters by major scholars in the field, the book uses theoretically comprehensive and empirically varied case studies to re-evaluate the central questions of epistemology, methodology, and approaches to popular culture studies from non-Western cultures' perspectives.Lucid, accessible, and nuanced, the chapters in the volume will be an invaluable reference source for scholars, researchers, and students in the humanities, liberal arts, cultural studies, and South Asian studies.

The volume examines popular sensibilities via textual, visual, performative, spatial, digital frames of inquiry and critical social-political issues in South Asia. It highlights the interface between cultural studies and its popular-political standpoints and interrogates the kaleidoscope of popular imaginary as well as its conceptual problematics through distinct case studies from the region. It leads learners towards the unfounded territories of popular culture studies in South Asia. With chapters by major scholars in the field, the book uses theoretically comprehensive and empirically varied case studies to re-evaluate the central questions of epistemology, methodology, and approaches to popular culture studies from non-Western cultures' perspectives.Lucid, accessible, and nuanced, the chapters in the volume will be an invaluable reference source for scholars, researchers, and students in the humanities, liberal arts, cultural studies, and South Asian studies.

The volume examines popular sensibilities via textual, visual, performative, spatial, digital frames of inquiry and critical social-political issues in South Asia. It highlights the interface between cultural studies and its popular-political standpoints and interrogates the kaleidoscope of popular imaginary as well as its conceptual problematics through distinct case studies from the region. It leads learners towards the unfounded territories of popular culture studies in South Asia. With chapters by major scholars in the field, the book uses theoretically comprehensive and empirically varied case studies to re-evaluate the central questions of epistemology, methodology, and approaches to popular culture studies from non-Western cultures' perspectives.Lucid, accessible, and nuanced, the chapters in the volume will be an invaluable reference source for scholars, researchers, and students in the humanities, liberal arts, cultural studies, and South Asian studies.

This book maps the journey of the Indian poetic imagination—in Hindi, Panjabi and Indian English—from its original quasi-spiritual longings to its activist interventions in the public domain. As Indian poetry of the post-1990s gravitates towards a non-Orientalised postcolonial nationalism, it seeks to rewrite and disseminate the shifting coordinates of nationalist imagination in terms of the dissent of the subaltern discontents of the nation.The book is interdisciplinary: it studies Indian poetry from the new emerging imperatives of postcolonialism, new historiography (subaltern, dalit and diasporas), nationalism, and cultural studies. Covering the two major north Indian languages—Hindi and Punjabi—along with poetry in Indian English, the book is a close textual study of about 150 poetry collections in these languages. It is path-breaking in its study of secular poetry written in the so-called vernaculars, with critical attention to its participation in the political as well as cultural processes of nation-making.This cutting-edge book should be of interest to scholars of Indian writings in English, Hindi and Panjabi, gender studies, dalit and diaspora studies, postcolonial poetry and to students reading South Asian literature and culture.

This book maps the journey of the Indian poetic imagination—in Hindi, Panjabi and Indian English—from its original quasi-spiritual longings to its activist interventions in the public domain. As Indian poetry of the post-1990s gravitates towards a non-Orientalised postcolonial nationalism, it seeks to rewrite and disseminate the shifting coordinates of nationalist imagination in terms of the dissent of the subaltern discontents of the nation.The book is interdisciplinary: it studies Indian poetry from the new emerging imperatives of postcolonialism, new historiography (subaltern, dalit and diasporas), nationalism, and cultural studies. Covering the two major north Indian languages—Hindi and Punjabi—along with poetry in Indian English, the book is a close textual study of about 150 poetry collections in these languages. It is path-breaking in its study of secular poetry written in the so-called vernaculars, with critical attention to its participation in the political as well as cultural processes of nation-making.This cutting-edge book should be of interest to scholars of Indian writings in English, Hindi and Panjabi, gender studies, dalit and diaspora studies, postcolonial poetry and to students reading South Asian literature and culture.

This book maps the journey of the Indian poetic imagination—in Hindi, Panjabi and Indian English—from its original quasi-spiritual longings to its activist interventions in the public domain. As Indian poetry of the post-1990s gravitates towards a non-Orientalised postcolonial nationalism, it seeks to rewrite and disseminate the shifting coordinates of nationalist imagination in terms of the dissent of the subaltern discontents of the nation.The book is interdisciplinary: it studies Indian poetry from the new emerging imperatives of postcolonialism, new historiography (subaltern, dalit and diasporas), nationalism, and cultural studies. Covering the two major north Indian languages—Hindi and Punjabi—along with poetry in Indian English, the book is a close textual study of about 150 poetry collections in these languages. It is path-breaking in its study of secular poetry written in the so-called vernaculars, with critical attention to its participation in the political as well as cultural processes of nation-making.This cutting-edge book should be of interest to scholars of Indian writings in English, Hindi and Panjabi, gender studies, dalit and diaspora studies, postcolonial poetry and to students reading South Asian literature and culture.

This volume compiles critical essays that explore the evolution of progressive poetry in India from the 1920s onwards. It underscores the influence of writers in shaping both social and poetic landscapes, addressing themes such as folk music, colonial modernity, regional identities, and feminist poetics. Offering a comprehensive examination of the diverse voices and movements that have defined Indian progressive poetry, the book analyses key figures and movements, including Hemanga Biswas in Bengal, Subramania Bharati in Tamil Nādu, and the progressive cosmopolis in Assam. Additionally, it delves into the impact of film lyrics, the concept of autonomy in Telugu poetry, and the feminist poetics of progressive Punjabi poetry, explored alongside critical reflections on the cosmopolitan sensibility of poets such as Shiv Kumar Batalvi and Pash. The volume also includes a nuanced analysis of Gujarati poetry as featured in literary periodicals, the significant role of Tamil literary magazines, and contributions from Urdu, Hindi, Odia, Kannada, and Kashmiri literature, thereby highlighting the intricate tapestry of progressive thought across these diverse linguistic landscapes. By situating Indian progressive poetry within a global context, this volume provides valuable insights into how poetry has served as a medium for political and cultural resistance. With its interdisciplinary approach and thematic diversity, the book serves as an essential resource for scholars, activists, and students. It offers a nuanced understanding of the enduring role of poetry in shaping political ideologies and social thought in contemporary India.

This volume compiles critical essays that explore the evolution of progressive poetry in India from the 1920s onwards. It underscores the influence of writers in shaping both social and poetic landscapes, addressing themes such as folk music, colonial modernity, regional identities, and feminist poetics. Offering a comprehensive examination of the diverse voices and movements that have defined Indian progressive poetry, the book analyses key figures and movements, including Hemanga Biswas in Bengal, Subramania Bharati in Tamil Nadu, and the progressive cosmopolis in Assam. Additionally, it delves into the impact of film lyrics, the concept of autonomy in Telugu poetry, and the feminist poetics of progressive Punjabi poetry, explored alongside critical reflections on the cosmopolitan sensibility of poets such as Shiv Kumar Batalvi and Pash. The volume also includes a nuanced analysis of Gujarati poetry as featured in literary periodicals, the significant role of Tamil literary magazines, and contributions from Urdu, Hindi, Odia, Kannada, and Kashmiri literature, thereby highlighting the intricate tapestry of progressive thought across these diverse linguistic landscapes. By situating Indian progressive poetry within a global context, this volume provides valuable insights into how poetry has served as a medium for political and cultural resistance. With its interdisciplinary approach and thematic diversity, the book serves as an essential resource for scholars, activists, and students. It offers a nuanced understanding of the enduring role of poetry in shaping political ideologies and social thought in contemporary India.