Paddaja Roy
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2226-9645
Ratnapith College, Assam, India
Kalyani Rava Devi
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1984-5681
Bodoland University, Assam, India
The present issue (vol. 6, no. 1) of the transcript: An e-Journal of Literary and Cultural Studies is a collection of five research articles and a book review. In the opening article, Pradipta Shyam Chowdhury examines Anglo-Indian culinary fusion as a site for colonial contact and resistance, and situates foodways as central to identity construction. The paper relies on the idea of gastrosemantics to contrast tinned food, which represents imperial purity, with curry, which signifies cultural adaptation. The hybrid cuisine thus created a Third Space which challenged colonial hierarchies. The study thus showcases complex negotiations and appropriations that take place between the imperial authority and the colonized subjects. The subsequent article by Rajesh Bharvad takes up the lens of new materialism and ecocriticism to analyse how transnational movements and environmental degradation form a parallel narrative of eco-diaspora in Anita Rau Badami’s The Hero’s Walk. By framing objects as active agents, Bharvad argues that sustainability requires the recognition of the mutual entanglement of all entities, thereby moving beyond human-centric perspectives. Shadi S. Neimneh’s paper argues that Hermann Hesse’s Knulp blends picaresque structure with romantic ideals and transforms the traditional rogue’s journey into a spiritual quest for inner truth and communion with nature. The paper analyses Knulp as a critique of modernity through a mystical, nature-centered worldview. Somnath Barui analyses Robin S. Ngangom’s poetry collection My Invented Land using the framework of double witness to describe how a human witness of violence is subsequently pursued by that violent history, creating a moral obligation to provide testimony. Barui puts forth the argument that Ngangom’s verse functions as a form of ethical dissent against systemic injustice and collective trauma while exploring Ngangom’s reflections on political conflict and state-sponsored militarization in North-East India. Tapas Sarkar explores death and existence in Jibanananda Das’s work through a comparative cross-generic analysis and highlights an existential crisis where the protagonists turn into living dead due to oppressive societal structures. Finally, the issue concludes with a book review of Pradip Acharya’s Familiar Sensation of Strangeness by Anirban Roy, where Roy posits that the book serves as a vital archive of Acharya’s engagement with cultural memory and translated texts.
On behalf of the Editorial Team, we would like to thank the contributors of this issue for the timely submission of their articles and also for their prompt response during the subsequent phases of reviewing and revision. We would also like to acknowledge the anonymous reviewers who have devoted their time and energy to making this volume publishable with their constructive feedback to the articles compiled in this issue. In this regard, it may also be noted that submissions are open throughout the year, the details of which are available on our website https://thetranscript.in along with guidelines for the submission of articles.
Acknowledgement: Nil
Conflict of Interest Declaration: The author declared no potential conflicts of interest about the research, authorship, and publication of this article.
Artificial Intelligence usage: Nil
Funding: Not applicable
Bio notes
Paddaja Roy is an Assistant Professor of English at Ratnapith College, Assam, India. She is also a Research Scholar in the Department of English, Bodoland University, Assam, India. Her area of interest includes Northeast Writings, Translation Studies, Media Studies, Indian Writing in English, Creative Writing, and Oral Literatures. She is an avid reader and has also worked as a content curator for Amenta Publications.
Kalyani Rava Devi has completed her M.A. in English Literature from Bodoland University and is currently a doctoral research scholar in the Department of English at Bodoland University. Her research interests include Trauma Studies, South Asian Literatures, and Women’s Studies.
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