Midnight's Orphans

Anglo-Indians are the human legacy of European colonialism. These descendants of European men and Indian women regularly appear as disconsolate and degenerate figures in colonial and postcolonial literature, much to the chagrin of contemporary Anglo-Indians. Many significant writers, such as Rudyard Kipling, Maud Diver, John Masters, Salman Rushdie and Hari Kunzru, have created Anglo-Indian characters to represent the complex racial, social and political currents of India's colonial past and postcolonial present. This book is the first detailed study of Anglo-Indians in literature. Rather than simply dismissing the representation of Anglo-Indians in literary texts as offensive stereotypes, the book identifies the conditions for the emergence of these stereotypes through close readings of key novels, such as Bhowani Junction, Midnight's Children and The Impressionist. It also examines the work of contemporary Anglo-Indian writers such as Allan Sealy and Christopher Cyrill. Presenting a persuasive argument against 'image criticism', the book underscores the importance of contextualizing literary texts, and makes a timely contribution to debates about 'mixed race' identities, minoritarian literature and interculturalism.

Autorentext

The Author: Glenn D Cruz is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Communication and Creative Arts at Deakin University, Australia. He has written for a number of publications on issues of `mixed race literature and cultural identity, including The Journal of Commonwealth Literature, Meanjin, Studies in Western Australian History. He has also published in the areas of theatre and performance studies.

Inhalt

Contents: Seven Deadly Stereotypes Dangerous Others and Colonial Governmentality Beyond the Pale: Imperial Power and Scientific Regimes of Truth Social Science and the Production of Anglo-Indian Identity Midnight s Orphans: Stereotypes in Postcolonial Literature The Good Australians : Australian Multiculturalism and Anglo-Indian Literature Conclusion: Bringing it all Back Home.