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Sherlock Holmes, Byomkesh Bakshi, and Feluda

Negotiating the Centre and the Periphery
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Sherlock Holmes, Byomkesh Bakshi, and Feluda: Negotiating the Centre and the Periphery presents a postcolonial reading of Conan Doyle's canonical detective texts-Sherlock Holmes adventures, and some lesser known detective texts written by two Bengali (Indian) writers-Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay (1899-1970), and Satyajit Ray (1921-1992). The book proposes that in a postcolonial reading situation, the representation of Holmes problematizes the act of reading and also the act and discourse of inquiry. The fact that the Holmes adventures contribute to the hegemonic culture of "Anglo/Eurocentrism" is seen as a reinforcement of racial superiority among the "colonized." This book studies how literary texts function as a signifier of a particular national identity, and can indicate the cultural construct of a state. It contends that only those texts which cater to the standards of global hierarchy are considered canonical, and indigenous texts, however significant, remain as "Other" literature. The book highlights colonial and postcolonial discourse in the Bengali detective texts and examines, how far Holmes has been able to reinforce racial dominance over the Indian detectives Byomkesh Bakshi and Feluda.
Anindita Dey is associate professor at Debraj Roy College, Golaghat
Introduction Chapter One: Understanding Hegemony and the Other Chapter Two: Sherlock Holmes: Super-sleuth and Agent of British Imperialism Chapter Three: The Politics of Centering and Othering Chapter Four: Subverting the Centre with Byomkesh Chapter Five: Beyond the Anglophone Shadow: Feluda Finds his Own Space Chapter Six: You Know My Method: Beyond Detective Tasks Conclusion Appendix: The Legacy of Bengali Detectives
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