Concept Note

As the much known debate about the implication of hyphenating the word postcolonial shows, the word ‘postcolonial,’ hardly represents fixity. Rather it highlights a transitional state characterized by ‘betweenness’. ‘Liminality’ or the notion of occupying a position on both sides has emerged as a keyword signifying this transitional nature of postcolonial literatures, cultures, and ideas.

Literature itself is identified as “a liminal phenomenon” by Mihai I. Spariosu (xiii) and though Spariosu does not speak specifically of postcolonial literatures, his argument stating literature “can not only undermine or reinforce a certain state of affairs in the historical world but also act as a threshold or passageway from one historical world to another” (xiii) echoes key concerns of postcolonial literatures and the presence of liminality therein. Additionally, identity formation, which is another area of concern for postcolonial literature and culture, has been viewed in terms of liminality, particularly in the context of Homi K. Bhabha’s notion of hybridity.

Taking note of the growing importance of liminality in studying postcolonial literature, identity formation, and culture as a whole, our conference seeks to gather research ideas highlighting the relevance of liminality in postcolonial studies from various perspectives. Presenters are welcome to submit abstracts that draw connections between liminality and postcolonial literatures focusing on the depiction of the transitional or the notion of indeterminacy in any postcolonial narrative. Additionally, we seek abstracts that would address our special focus, that is, postcolonial narratives that moves beyond the familiar domains of reality through a magic realist mode adopting genres like Fantasy, SF, Gothic, Horror, etc.

Speaking about postcolonial gothic Gina Wisker explains how majority of postcolonial writings limit themselves to “exposing histories and experiences using realism” and postcolonial gothic take a step further because it “enriches the landscape of place, mind, and expression further by bodying forth the imaginary, the spiritual, imaginative, sensed, and felt, the internal landscapes of the mind, showing these as real, as the more frequently recorded historical, and richer because layered with meaning, demanding interpretation and engagement from readers” (402). We seek to broaden the applicability of such views by studying how postcolonial narratives moving beyond realism in general have this enriching quality.

Our conference aims at gathering eminent speakers and budding scholars for mapping and analyzing the various manifestations of liminality in Postcolonial narratives (both literature and film), discussing the issues outlined above.

Presentations may include, but are not limited to the following:

-Politics of liminality in postcolonial narratives

-Postcolonial formations and transformations through the lens of liminality

-Reflection of social, political, environmental, and cultural issues in postcolonial narratives

-Mixing of realities with fantastic and the aesthetics/politics of such mixing

- Temporal and Spatial analyses of liminality

-Postcolonial and the spiritual

-Liminality and postcolonial culture

-Liminality and postcolonial theatre

-Liminality in postcolonial SF, fantasy, gothic, weird stories, etc.

Works Cited

Spariosu, Mihai I. The Wreath of Wild Olive Play, Liminality and Study of Literature. State University of New York Press, 1994.

Wisker, Gina. “Crossing Liminal Spaces: Teaching the Postcolonial Gothic.” Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, Composition, and Culture, Vol.7, no.3,2007,pp.401-25.

Speakers:

•Prof. Kaiser Haq, University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh

•Prof. Amit Bhattacharya, Dept. of English, University of Gour Banga

•Dr. Samipendra Banerjee, Head & Associate Professor, Dept. of English, University of Gour Banga

•Dr. Narugopal Mukherjee, Associate Professor, Dept. of English, Bankura Christian College

SEMINAR ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Patron

Shri Suresh Chandra Rano

WBCS (Exe.)

SDO, Malda Sadar &

Administrator,

Manikchak College

Chairperson

Dr. Aniruddha Chakraborty

Principal, Manikchak college

Organizing Secretary

Motaleb Ali

SACT, Dept. of Pol. Science

Manikchak College