Thinking Activity: Imaginary Homelands: Selected Essays: Salman Rushdi

 

we had concluding session on the paper of Postcolonial Studies in which Balaji sir talked on 'Imaginary Homeland by Salman Rushdie and couple of essays like: ' Attenborough's Gandhi', New Empire within Britain and Commonwealth Literature doesn't exit'.

Diaspora is in wide term:

It is a constitutes of diasporic experience of course diaspora is used in a very wide sense now. It is what  something called indentured labor. So there was  individuals forced in the sense agreements and signed with migrant situation, which suppose to  be democratic but that's how it was the ties for people who signed agreements to work in the colonies in Philippines and Malaysia( Example)

 

When we talking about the diaspora there is always a degree of conflict in world with diaspora it has to do with the idea of memory and it the memory something with the desire which we had left. Desire because in which terms and conditions where you had left your mother country and you are come to  host country.  the process there is this called a shift of memory.

 First, sir gave the definition of the title Imaginary Homeland in a wonderful way with various examples. Obviously, some may have question that homeland can also be imaginary? Indeed, homeland can also be imaginary if we see the history of Palestine that the people of Palestine had their land and property in their homeland before the arrival of Jews from the Europa due to the Hitler's tornado on Jew people. After the arrival of Jews, Palestine turned into Israel a new state by the politics of Western countries especially America who have majority of Jews. So, Palestinian starting immigration from their homeland because of the forcefully occupation and shift in near Islamic countries, so they imagine their homeland which is not to be happened and the result we can see right now after the 70th years of occupation, Palestinian have not get their homeland back, sir also connected it with Kashmir issue.

 

Secondly, sir talked about the new empire within Britain in which sir talked about the different views of Britain on Asian countries and African countries that they believe Asian as hardworking and African they look their race. Furthermore, Balaji sir shared his personal experience to convey this ideas that western countries don't allow our behaviour and day today's life of Asian they don't like that 'other' grab any kind of position in their land. So, the higher education is very costly in western countries and half of educated peoples from India or Africa working at very cheap place like swiper or in cleaning in restaurant.

 

Moreover, sir talked little bit about the Commonwealth Literature in which sir explained Commonwealth definition very easily that after the colonization, Britain's empire decided to make relation with colonized countries in the exchange of goods and so on. But Rushdie said that Commonwealth literature doesn't exist like other things.