Reterritorialising literary studies: deconstructing the scripts of empire

In this article, I demonstrate the ways in which archival material can be gainfully employed within literary studies. Focusing on the figure of the Indian coolie of colonial Malaya, I argue that adopting such an interdisciplinary paradigm is a necessary bridge to aid the quest for the story of the pioneer Indian immigrant experience for its trail stretches across two terrains of narrativisation, one historical, the other literary. As I seek out the texts that have constructed the base of the sign-system that has in many ways locked the subject in question within its confining structures, I also propose to read them against the grain, to dislodge their deeply embedded discursive pillars. In other words, I will proceed with what is primarily a deconstructive reading of the colonialist sign-systems of the coolie. The article thus demonstrates the reterritorialising of literary studies as it excavates the scripts of empire buried within the terrain of history through the mechanisms of literary deconstruction, thus re-reading history as literatur

Secularism and Its Discontents: The Moor’s Last Sigh and Riot

The recurrent theme of dropping frontiers in a world which has become increasingly heterogeneous but intolerant is the leitmotif of Sashi Tharoor’s Riot and Salman Rushdie’s The Moor’s Last Sigh. The figure of the Moor and his hybrid genealogy is central to Rushdie’s vision, as he reconstructs a syncretic, tolerant Moorish Spain and juxtaposes it with Bombay, his haven of pluralism. He celebrates Nehru’s vision of a new Indian nation which, in keeping with the traditions of western modernity, promised to be above religion, clan, and narrow parochial considerations. With the vanishing of such ideals and hopes, as boundaries and religious communalism are getting intensified these diasporic cosmopolitan writers make a case for a boundless world. Their response is a human subjectivity which transcends color, class, narrow parochialism, tribalism and fundamentalism. Secularism is the very base of their humane approach. This essay, therefore, analyzes the theme of secularism and its discontents, particularly in the context of the coexistence of Hindus and Muslims in India, as it runs through Rushdie’s The Moor’s Last Sigh and Tharoor’s Riot by exploring the various layers of allegories related to pluralism and the critique of fundamentalism in them. Toward this end, it will focus on the recent debates on Indian secularism by scholars to interrogate the relevance of the European model of secularism which argues for the separation of state and religion

Transformation of Labour Relations

One of the spill-over effects of globalization is the essential transformation of labour market structure. In the wake of service sector revolution, being backed by knowledge revolution, faster mobility and the growth of IT enabled services, the potential of tourism cannot be over looked. This paper attempts to disclose the changing notion of work in the current international scenario. The study focuses on tourism sector, both due to its growth potential and due to its employment significance. The paper explores the new development in labour relations in tourism industry in the Indian perspective.Globalization, Tourism, Labour market, Tourism labour market, labour relations, Service sector, Informalisation, flexible work force, numerical flexibility.

The rights and responsibilites of Australian citizenship: a legislative analysis

This article tests claims about the legal significance of possessing Australian citizenship against the legal reality. Abstract The Preamble to the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (Cth) makes three broad claims about Australian statutory citizenship: that it signifies ‘full and formal membership of the Australian community’; that it is characterised by the possession of ‘reciprocal rights and obligations’; and that it is a ‘bond’ that ‘unites all Australians’. This article examines the extent to which these claims accurately describe the legal implications of citizenship in Australia. In doing so, it looks in detail at the degree to which holding Australian statutory citizenship impacts upon the rights a person possesses in four broad categories that are intrinsically connected with citizenship: status protection rights, rights to entry and abode, rights to protection, and political rights

Labour as an Agent of Production: A Classical Economy Perspective

Seminal works on labour and its contribution to the economy were attempted by classical economists. The classical political economy considered labour as the sole source of value, and only it can create an addition. The predominance of ascribed it as basis of all social life. This paper reviews the works of two classical political economy writers: Marx and Smith.Labour, labour power, abstract labour, concrete labour, Karl Max, Adam Smith, classical economy, division of labour

Labour Market Structure: A Brief Literature Survey

Labour market is a multi-dimensional entity, with inexorable institutional affiliation. Therefore, the studies on labour market fail to evolve a logical framework to its structure with satisfactory consensus to the theoreticians in totality. It is very interesting to examine the various dimensions of labour market. This paper reviews certain research contributions on labour market structure, segmentation and vulnerability issues.labour market, labour market structure, labour market segmentation, gender concerns and vulnerability in labour market

An Analysis of Paddy Productivity Growth in West Bengal and Orissa

In this paper, we attempt to analyse the changes in paddy productivity growth in West Bengal and Orissa during eighties and early nineties. Results reveal that input productivity has played an important role in the agricultural growth performance in the eighties and early nineties in these states. While this productivity growth has been brought about through improvements both in efficiency and technology, there are substantial variations across seasons and seed varieties. Also, the performance of paddy in West Bengal has been better than that of Orissa, primarily because the state of production technology in West Bengal is more advanced than in Orissa.