Editorial

Authors

  • Brent Howitt Otto and Robyn Andrews

Abstract

In this general issue we are pleased to present three scholarly articles and two book reviews written by scholars who in their wider academic endeavours include work focussed on Anglo-Indians. These works indicate the health and vitality of Anglo-Indian Studies today. Further testimony to the growth Anglo-Indian Studies are the workshops and seminars in this area, at least two of which are planned in Kolkata in January 2017. 

Turning now to the articles in this issue: Uther Charlton-Steven’s article examines the working lives of Anglo-Indian women in the late days of the British Raj. Drawing on archival material as well as interviews, he describes the experiences of Anglo-Indian women who travelled to Africa and the Middle East, before and during World War II, and those serving as military nurses in particular. They selectively identified with Britishness and with India in shaping their own identities.  

Catherine Rivera, an MA student in anthropology, surveyed literature on the diasporic community of Anglo-Indians as a summer scholarship project. We are delighted that she has submitted this comprehensive and up to date review. It will be of great value to other scholars in this area or seeking to familiarize themselves with this diasporic community.

Arup Pal, a doctoral candidate in West Bengal working on the writings of Anglo-Indian novelist Ruskin Bond. This article addresses the forces and tensions impacting upon Anglo-Indian identity formation in India immediately following Independence, as represented through central characters in Bond’s, The Room on the Roof (1956). 

In this issue we also present Dorothy McMenamin’s review of Rani Sircar’s Strains in a Minor Key: A Celebration of Sixty Years in Calcutta (2013), and Rajarshi Mitra’s review of Shuchi Kapila’s Educating Seeta: The Anglo-Indian Family Romance and the Poetics of Indirect Rule (2010).

The next issue will be the second special issue on ‘Anglo-Indians in Small Towns’. That will be followed by a general issue of articles from all relevant disciplines on Anglo-Indian Studies. We issue regular calls for papers, announced on the Journal website, Facebook page and through an e-mail list of scholars working in Anglo-Indian Studies. Submissions are welcomed at any time. Please e-mail the editors if you are not on this e-mail list and would like to be. We also seek reviews of recently published works in the area of Anglo-Indian Studies. Please contact us with submissions or any queries about submissions. 

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Published

2016-10-15