Exploring the Post-Colonial Literary Canon
2011 International Conference on Languages, Literature and Linguistics IPEDR vol.26 (2011) © (2011) IACSIT Press, Singapore
Exploring the Post-Colonial Literary Canon
Sandhya Rao Mehta
Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Abstract. This paper addresses some the most prominent problematics of working with an established literary canon, including the extent to which, when implemented in universities worldwide, it represents the emerging concerns of diverse communities across the world. The main argument extended in this discussion is that, while the western-centred literary canon is being increasingly replaced by other works of international repute, they are themselves in danger of becoming a canon, bringing with them similar issues of privilege and power. Having defined the canon, the paper goes on to illustrate the way the post-colonial canon began to be established and then explores its inherent dangers and limitations. Suggestions of an alternative ‘counter canon’ are offered as possible ways to address increasingly urgent concerns in a flat world. The question of whether a literary canon can ever be established as an academic fixity is posed at the end of the discussion. Keywords: Post-Colonial literary canon, counter canon, meta-narratives, world literature, emerging literatures 1. Introduction
As the narrative of post-colonial discourse has shifted to more contemporary notions of globalization with its attendant concerns with hybridity, multiple identities and non-belonging, its manifestations in the literary canon are yet to be explored. While the battle for the establishment of ‘other voices’ characterized much of post-colonial literary studies towards the end of the last millennium, it has largely resulted in departments of humanities across the world attempting to integrate the voices from various corners of the world in order to more equitably represent the changing geo-political concerns of the twenty-first century. In literary circles, this
Exploring the Post-Colonial Literary Canon
Sandhya Rao Mehta
Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Abstract. This paper addresses some the most prominent problematics of working with an established literary canon, including the extent to which, when implemented in universities worldwide, it represents the emerging concerns of diverse communities across the world. The main argument extended in this discussion is that, while the western-centred literary canon is being increasingly replaced by other works of international repute, they are themselves in danger of becoming a canon, bringing with them similar issues of privilege and power. Having defined the canon, the paper goes on to illustrate the way the post-colonial canon began to be established and then explores its inherent dangers and limitations. Suggestions of an alternative ‘counter canon’ are offered as possible ways to address increasingly urgent concerns in a flat world. The question of whether a literary canon can ever be established as an academic fixity is posed at the end of the discussion. Keywords: Post-Colonial literary canon, counter canon, meta-narratives, world literature, emerging literatures 1. Introduction
As the narrative of post-colonial discourse has shifted to more contemporary notions of globalization with its attendant concerns with hybridity, multiple identities and non-belonging, its manifestations in the literary canon are yet to be explored. While the battle for the establishment of ‘other voices’ characterized much of post-colonial literary studies towards the end of the last millennium, it has largely resulted in departments of humanities across the world attempting to integrate the voices from various corners of the world in order to more equitably represent the changing geo-political concerns of the twenty-first century. In literary circles, this
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