Retrospective Hallucination.............In Newly Decolonized India, Popular Film Found Itself At The Center Of The Celebration Of New Nationhood. Pranja Paramita Parasher Traces The Politics Of Representation, Who Is Acknowledged And Who Is Left Out, And Offers A Retrospective Glimpse Into The Aporias And Elisions Which Surround The Projection Of A Unified National Self. The Filmic Experience Is Visual, And Its Growing Library Forms An Archive Which Calls Into Question The Meaning Of History And Thus Allows Us To Imagine, To See, What Has Not Yet Been Thought. Review 1947'S Patriotic Self And It Is Gender'S Hollow Image That Is Most Haunting. Where Is Echo? Asks Gayatri Spivak Of Narcissism. From Replies And Silences Fixed In Film Records, Dr. Parasher Posits Echoes, Lost Stories Whose Dense Occupation Of Shadow Space Provides The Luminosity For Film'S Distracting Power, Radiant And Seductive In Its Absolute Control Of Reflected Light.

This book examines cinematic practices in Bollywood as narratives that assist in shaping the imagination of the age, especially in contemporary India. It examines historical films released in India since the new millennium and analyses cinema as a reflection of the changing socio-political and economic conditions at any given period. The chapters in Historicizing Myths in Contemporary India: Cinematic Representations and Nationalist Agendas in Hindi Cinemas also illuminate different perspectives on how cinematic historical representations follow political patterns and market compulsions, giving precedence to a certain past over the other, creating a narrative suited for the dominant narrative of the present. From Mughal-e-Azam to Padmaavat, and Bajirao Mastani to Raazi, the chapters show how creating history out of myths validate hegemonic identities in a rapidly evolving Indian society. The volume will be of interest to scholars of film and media studies, literature and culture studies, and South Asian studies.

This book offers a historical understanding of the Indian Audio-Visual media as well as examines and deconstructs the relationship between fact and fiction, history and imagination, nationalism and communalism, nation and gender, history and war, media and mentality and cinema and social identities particularly in Hindi cinema.

A unique volume that highlights – tellingly and poignantly – how the impact of the Hindi film over the decades has played a significant role in trying to bring together people belonging to different faiths and different strata of society. Covering a vast time span from the silent era to the present, this work focuses on Hindi cinema’s attempts at promoting harmony and trust among various religions, communities and ethnic groups, while performing its basic function of entertaining the viewers. It identifies appropriate situations and characters in select films – such as Padosi (1941), Hum Ek Hain (1946), Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Dharamputra (1961), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Ghulam-e-Musthafa (1997), Lagaan (2001) and Veer-Zara (2004) – and describes how positive messages have been articulated through them. It also examines the response of the film makers to the changes that have been taking place over the years in society vis-à-vis the communal milieu in the country and their contribution towards making a cinema that heals. Ever since its inception a century ago, Indian cinema, far more than other popular cultural medium, has consistently taken up highly appealing and socially relevant interpretations of popular religious beliefs and customs. It has often attempted to ensure that the audiences identified themselves with the characters as they enacted their roles on screen. This cinema, though dominated by love stories and romantic escapism, has, occasionally, sent out a powerful message against age-old religious orthodoxy and outdated traditions by emphasizing that such factors have caused tremendous social tensions and suffering. In a very significant way, Indian cinema has tried to systematically break down religious and other barriers (say, ethnic, language, caste and class) and has endeavoured to engender an egalitarian society despite numerous obstacles. Here is a work that all readers, film buffs or not, will find stimulating, engrossing and informative.

Winner of the 2006 Gradiva Award A collection of new and previously-published essays that sheds light on the intersections between psychoanalysis and Indic Studies. While Indian academics and clinicians have been familiar with psychoanalysis for many decades, they have kept this Western model of the mind separate from the spiritual and philosophical traditions of their own country. Freud Along the Ganges bridges this important lacuna in psychoanalytic and Indic studies by creating a new theoretical field where human motives are approached not only psychoanalytically but also from the perspective of the teachings of Buddha, Tagore, Ghandi, and Salman Rushdie. The authors of this collection show how the insights of these Indian masters give a new force to the Freudian discovery by providing a basis to better understand the social and psychological Indian makeup. The book begins by questioning the applicability of the psychoanalytic method to non-Western cultures. It then traces the history of the psychoanalytic movement in India from its onset while it emphasizes the intricate overlap between Indian existential and mystical traditions and psychoanalysis. Freud Along the Ganges offers a unique study of the ways that Indian thought and psychoanalysis illuminate and enrich each other.

The Encyclopedia of the Modern World delves into the period from 1750 to the present, providing special attention to social, economic, cultural and political topics applicable to the time. The breadth of knowledge offered within this multivolume set is astounding, with features spanning articles on countries, regions, and ethnic groups; themes involving social history, demography, family life, politics, economics, religion, thought, education, science and technology, and culture; events such as major wars; and extensive coverage of the United States. Detailed articles cover not only the major facts but the interpretations as well and are written for readers who are not specialists in the particular area. Enriched with over 800 halftones and 50 maps, this reference work is essential for any scholar, general reader, collector or curator interested in this rich and varied time in history. Through its fluent global coverage The Encyclopedia of Modern World provides information about and interpretation of major developments across particular regionsboth salient events and regional perspectives on common themes such as politics, demography, social class, and gender. Readers can explore topics that have global implications, such as migration, childhood, and foods, topics that can be viewed through a combination of global patterns and key comparisons. Entries also shed light on standard geographic and ethnic units, such as Scandinavia, Korea, or the Gypsies, in the modern period. The Encyclopedia presents unprecedented coverage of global processes and institutions themselves including the International Red Cross, and the League of Nations. - Publisher.