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`Delightful Cousins' and `Scandalous Prayer': Multiculturalism and Ecofeminism in
Alice Walker's By the Light of My Father's
Smile
-- Kishori Nayak K
Alice Walker's novel, By the Light of My
Father's Smile is a multicultural saga which
deals simultaneously with the worlds of the dead and the living. The multiple voices within the
novel represent a variety of cultures and viewpoints that stress the coexistence of different ways
of `seeing and doing,' which is perhaps what multiculturalism is
about—an attempt to understand the stranger, i.e.,
people from other cultures, besides Kristeva's `stranger within
ourselves.' Alice Walker offers a review of the various cultures
depicted—the Christianized African-American way of life
as depicted through the values of the Robinson family (and
indirectly, the values of the White mainstream which has indoctrinated them), the ecofeminist values of the Mundos, an Amerindian tribe in
the Sierra Madre of Mexico with whom the Afros who fled the Civil War integrated, and also the
East European Greek culture at Kalimasa.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Internationalizing Gatsby
and the American Dream
-- Somdatta Mandal
In his memoir, Code Name God: The Spiritual Odyssey of a Man of
Science, Mani Bhaumik writes, "My journey from mud to marble was complete, and like
Fitzgerald's Jay Gatsby, I sought to wipe clean all traces of the poor non-immigrant boy I had been. Within just a few years, I owned six
hilltop houses with million-dollar postcard views, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Palos Verdes,
Malibu—each one was a bulwark against the fate of my ancestors. I drove a
Rolls-Royce." These words speak a lot about the myth of Gatsby and the American Dream that Fitzgerald had created more than
eighty years ago. This comparison is more interesting because it shows how the iconic figure has
transcended American shores to rest in various forms in the psyche of men and women from diverse
cultures across the world. Apart from analyzing this beautifully written rags-to-riches narrative, this
paper also deals with the use of the novel as well as the representation of the protagonist Gatsby
in different avatars in cross-cultural settings by British writers like Ali Smith and Hanif
Kureishi, Chinese Wu Ningkun, Iranian Azar Nafisi, and Puerto-Rican American Ernesto Quinonez, and
shows how the text's canonical status can never be overestimated.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Multiethnic Literature for the Beginners,
with an Introduction to Native American Studies
and Its Pioneer, N Scott Momaday
-- K Subapriya
Today, the study of differences in terms of 'ethnicity' is vital to understand the broader field
of multiethnic literature. Multiethnic literature is a rapidly growing field involving the literary works
of Native American, Latino American, African American,
Asian Pacific American and Euro-American writers. Among the other ethnic literatures,
the Native American field is widely studied for its unique
quality of blending the oral with the written tradition. Native American literature reflects the
voices of the tribes, their traditions, cultures and languages. This particular field calls for an intense study of
its authentic record of experiences and effective usage of myths and legends. Native American
literature is basically prismatic and was brought into limelight through the works of N Scott Momaday.
The works of N Scott Momaday provide a suitable
ground to feel the texture and nature of Native
American literature. The Ancient Child is one such work that nurtures the basic elements of Native
American literature. This article explores the basic definition of
ethnicity and the qualities and special features of multiethnic literature, with particular reference to Native American literature and the
contribution of N Scott Momaday to the same. It also
gives an outline of multiethnic literature to the
beginners.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
An Introduction to Chicanism
-- M Maria Felci Rajathi
The article introduces the Chicanas and their history. It shows how Chicanas challenged the
dominant discourses and arrived at new conceptual frameworks to establish
Chicanism. It identifies the fissures in the Chicano community, as a result of which Chicana feminism was born. The
Chicana feminist movement is one strong women's liberation movement that understands the triple forms
of oppression that Chicanas suffer, and opposes sexism and male chauvinism that are deeply rooted
in the Chicano movement. Chicana women try to create their own history,
rewrite wrong history and attempt at re-equating power relations within the community on the other side of the
border. From being undocumented immigrants, the Chicanas straddle between two cultures and return to
their roots through writing, constructing their identity and coming into existence. The complexities of
their experiences have led to the reinventing of new identities and means of
expressions. Chicanism addresses issues like patriarchy and female sexuality and tries to overthrow male privileges in
the family and community by practicing lesbianism. Through this,
it tries to disturb the established order of male dominance. Recent Chicana writings have positively contributed to
a better understanding of Chicana history and personal
experiences.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
American Studies in India: Retrospect and Prospect
-- E Nageswara Rao
The spadework for American Studies in India was done by Merle Curti and John Haynes
Holmes, two American professors, who delivered lectures on American civilization and culture at
various institutions in India in the late 1940s. The US Educational Foundation in India (USEFI), the
United States Information Service (USIS), and the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations organized and
funded many workshops and seminars on American topics in the 1950s. Several Indian universities
started courses in American history, literature and political science. A few American professors
taught these courses in the beginning. The American Studies Research Center (ASRC) in
Hyderabad, established in 1964, gave strong support to
American Studies programs for three decades
through its library, grants, courses, seminars, workshops, and publications. Professional associations
such as the Indian Association for American Studies, Indian History Congress, Indian Political
Science Association, and All India English
Teachers' Conference have also been promoting American
Studies through their annual conferences and journals. However, there were serious concerns about
the necessity and the propriety of the disproportionate importance given to this discipline. With
the changed international political situation in the 1990s, globalization, and the emergence of
new disciplines and theories, the academic priorities have
also changed. The closure of the ASRC in 1998 and the waning interest in American Studies also led to a rethinking over a suitable approach
to American Studies. Recontextualization, internationalization, and environmental approach are
suggested as desirable alternatives. While the organizations and associations of the 1960s have
withered, there is new hope in MELUS and in the attempts to reinvent American Studies in the global context.
© 2009 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
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