Autobiography, Travel And Postnational Identity: Gandhi, Nehru And Iqbal (cambridge Imperial And Post-colonial Studies Series)

Javed Majeed has produced an exceptional and important book which will affect our way of thinking about nationalism today. Through the most scrupulous and sensitive readings of the autobiographical writings of Gandhi, Nehru and Iqbal, he demonstrates how each of them is engaged in a complex negotiation of the innermost depths of selfhood as a means of political self-empowerment. They do this against the oppressive clichés of colonial discourse, but also in such a way as to forge a new, subtly rendered, version of political subjectivity which could serve as a model for post-colonial identity in modern times. Majeed opens up these key figures of Indian nationalism to the widest political significance. In the process, notably in his discussion of Iqbal, he also despatches a number of dangerously oversimplified readings of modern Islamic thought. Autobiography, Travel and Postnational Identity is an impressive achievement which will stand as a major rebuttal of those who would separate the vagaries of the internal world from the drama of political liberation. "Autobiography, Travel and Postnational Identity examines concepts of travel in the autobiographies of leading Indian nationalists in order to show how nationalism is grounded in notions of individual selfhood, how the idea of collective life can be drawn from a vision of the individual self, and how the writing of autobiography, fused with the genre of the travelogue, played a key role in formulating the complex tie between inferiority and nationality in South Asia. A range of texts is analysed, from autobiographies to travelogues and poetry in English, Urdu and Persian, to show why the political thought of leading Indian nationalist figures and Muslim separatists was decisively articulated in their autobiographical narratives rather than through any other form of writing."--Jacket. Autobiography, Travel and Postnational Identity examines concepts of travel in the autobiographies of leading Indian nationalists in order to show how nationalism is grounded in notions of individual selfhood, how the idea of collective life can be drawn from a vison of the individual self, and how the writing of autobiography, fused with the genre of the travelogue, played a key role in formulating the complex tie between interiority and nationality in South Asia. A range of texts is analysed, from autobiographies to travelogues and poetry in English, Urdu and Persian, to show why the political thought of leading Indian nationalist figures and Muslim separatists was decisively articulated in their autobiographical narratives rather than through any other form of writing This book examines concepts of travel in the autobiographies of leading Indian nationalists in order to show how nationalism is grounded in notions of individual selfhood, and how the writing of autobiography, fused with the genre of the travelogue, played a key role in formulating the complex tie between interiority and nationality in South Asia. This book examines concepts of travel in the autobiographies of leading Indian nationalists in order to show how nationalism is grounded in notions of individual selfhood, and how the writing of autobiography, fused with the genre of the travelogue, played a key role in formulating the complex tie between interiority and nationality in South Asia This is the undisputed best introduction to the history of the world-wide pattern of British activity in the nineteenth century, embracing its expansive spirit as well as its formal territorial empire. The dynamics of this extraordinary enterprise are considered broadly: the high-political concerns of strategy and international geopolitics are analyzed, as well as the economic dimension, missionary activity, and racial attitudes, together with a wide range of cultural aspects, including sport and the pursuit of sexual opportunity. Nor is the personal contribution of some of the leading Victorian figures neglected Front Matter....Pages i-vi Introduction....Pages 1-9 Native Travelees....Pages 10-50 Nationalism’s Travelling Autobiographies and Indian Travelogues....Pages 51-75 Travel and Modernity....Pages 76-135 A Strange and Uncharted Land....Pages 136-173 The Aporia of Muslim Nationalism....Pages 174-210 Gandhi’s Vulnerability....Pages 211-238 Gandhi, ‘Truth’ and Translatability....Pages 239-268 A Reluctant Admission of the Reality of the Self....Pages 269-288 Conclusion....Pages 289-291 Back Matter....Pages 292-309 This Book Examines Concepts Of Travel In The Autobiographies Of Leading Indian Nationalists In Order To Show How Nationalism Is Grounded In Notions Of Individual Selfhood, And How The Writing Of Autobiography, Fused With The Genre Of The Travelogue, Played A Key Role In Formulating The Complex Tie Between Interiority And Nationality In South Asia. By Javed Majeed. The Idea Of An Aryan Race Became An Important Feature Of Imperial Culture In The 19th Century, Feeding Into Debates In Britain, Ireland, India, And The Pacific. This Study Traces The Emergence And Dissemination Of Aryanism Within The British Empire.