Cultural Allotropy

About the Book

This research work spins around the issue of cultural allotropy, which we all have experienced at different levels; however, a conscious realization regarding it might be missing to some extent. Centuries of political intervention and subjugation by foreign countries results in the presence of a mixed culture and this side-by-side flourishing of two cultures seems now an accepted fact, a part of man’s consciousness. But the presence of two contradictory sets of values—one not fully accepted and the other not totally rejected—gives rise to a difficult situation in the face of the conflicting claims of the two. This gives rise to a mixing of cultures, a blend which in other words may be called cultural allotropy—that is, existence of the culture of a particular region in two or more forms, having different and mixed properties at the emotional or intellectual level at a given point of time. Going beyond the political subjugation in the era of globalization, it has now become a matter of economic and cultural subjugation. Undoubtedly, our cultural allotropy is a byproduct of modern economic compulsions also. Through different Indian English novelists, I have tried to intrigue the issues via different portrayals and characters and finally posed a question, “What is it to be an Indian?”

About the Author

I am Vinay Bharat, assistant professor in English at Marwari College, Ranchi (under Ranchi University, Ranchi ) and a freelancer. I have been writing for different newspapers as columnists since 1992. My key interest area is sociopolitical and cultural issues. I have already authored one book of poetry and short stories in Hindi (title: Katrane, published in New Delhi, India).