Colonial Narratives Cultural Dialogues: Discoveries of India in the Language of Colonialism

Breaking ground in post-colonial studies, Colonial Narratives/Cultural Dialogues explores the west's relationship to the history of British colonialism within the context of cultural studies. Jyotsna Singh highlights the interconnections between early modern colonial encounters, later manifestations in the Raj and their lingering influence in the postcolonial Indian state. She examines the assumptions implicit in representations of colonialism and questions the validity of eyewitness accounts and unmediated experiences. Singh combines official, formal narratives used in India and the unofficial, informal accounts of dissonant voices. Among the texts considered here are reviews of Shakespearean productions in colonial Calcutta and postcolonial, Indo-Anglian novels; seventeenth century travel narratives about India; eighteenth century "nabob" texts; letters of Sir William Jones, the Orientalist; and East India Company petitions.