Prem Poddar - Böcker

This is the first reference guide to the political, cultural and economic histories that form the subject-matter of postcolonial literatures written in English. The focus of the Companion is principally on the histories of postcolonial literatures in the Anglophone world - Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, South-east Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the Pacific, the Caribbean and Canada. There are also long entries discussing the literatures and histories of those further areas that have also claimed the title ‘postcolonial’, notably Britain, East Asia, Ireland, Latin America and the United States. The Companion contains 220 entries written by 150 acknowledged scholars of postcolonial history and literature, and covers major events, ideas, movements, and figures in postcolonial histories. In addition, for each region, there are long survey essays on historiography and women’s histories. The majority of the entries focus on the period after the end of colonial rule in Britain’s Empire, but as many postcolonial literary works re-visit the period of colonial rule, the Companion includes entries on certain events from this earlier period too. Each entry provides a summary of the historical event or topic, as well as bibliographies of postcolonial literary works and histories for further reading. Extensive cross-references and indexes enable readers to locate particular literary texts in their relevant historical contexts, as well as to discover related literary texts and histories in other regions with ease. By outlining the historical contexts of postcolonial literatures, the Companion provides an important key to understanding complex contemporary debates about race, colonialism and neo-colonialism, politics, economics, culture and language. Its coverage of events, figures and movements along with political, social, and economic developments makes this indispensable reading for students, teachers and general readers alike.

Radical, intrepid, compendious, /A Historical Companion to Postcolonial Literatures/, goes far toward restoring 'postcolonialism' to its historical premises by resituating that imperial project in its much changed and still controversial cartographies. It is Marlow's map of the 'heart of darkness' drastically redrawn: what was once the 'vast amount of red,' a 'deuce of a lot of blue,' a 'little green,' those 'smears of orange,' and the 'purple patch,' is here become a dense kaleidoscope that will of necessity rechart the itinerary of students and critical travellers across and around 'continental Europe and its empires.'Barbara Harlow, University of Texas at Austin'The /Companion/ is unique in that it provides a wealth of analysis and information about all European continental powers and their colonies and presents the entire assembly in a wonderful mis-en-scène. It is a 'true' companion that invites trans-cultural readings of trans-cultural literatures.'Walter Mignolo, Duke UniversityThe first reference work to the political, cultural and economic contexts of postcolonial literatures stemming from the empires of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain as well as Latin America and the Philippines Written by recognised scholars the entries cover major events, ideas, movements and figures in postcolonial histories. They cover European overseas exploration, settlement, colonisation and decolonisation and highlight the relevance of colonial histories to the cultural, social, political and literary formations of contemporary postcolonial societies and nations. Each entry provides a succinct account of an event or topic, as well as suggestions for further reading in literary works and histories.By outlining the historical contexts of postcolonial literatures, the Companion provides an important key to understanding complex contemporary debates about race, colonialism and neo-colonialism, politics, economics, culture and

Through the India-China Border mobilizes rarely used documentary material from British, Chinese and Indian archives to shed new light on our understanding of the 'Tibet Question' in China-India relations. Focused on the Himalayan border town of Kalimpong from the 1920s to 1962, it unearths a history of espionage and political intrigue that challenges the way that remote peripheries are seen from the 'centres' of nations. The innovative use of postcolonial and transcultural theory demonstrates how a multidisciplinary framework augments our reading of imperial histories, postwar politics, decolonisation and frontier cultures. Kalimpong emerges from this analysis as a key node in Himalayan history and in the mid-century fashioning of India-China relations.

The growing debate over British national identity, and the place of "Englishness" within it, raises crucial questions about multiculturalism, postimperial culture and identity, and the past and future histories of globalization. However, discussions of Englishness have too often been limited by insular conceptions of national literature, culture, and history, which serve to erase or marginalize the colonial and postcolonial locations in which British national identity has been articulated. This volume breaks new ground by drawing together a range of disciplinary approaches in order to resituate the relationship between British national identity and Englishness within a global framework. Ranging from the literature and history of empire to analyses of contemporary culture, postcolonial writing, political rhetoric, and postimperial memory after 9/11, this collection demonstrates that far from being parochial or self-involved, the question of Englishness offers an important avenue for thinking about the politics of national identity in our postcolonial and globalized world.