142216 SE Tribal literature and languages in 20th-century Eastern Himalayas: claiming recognition and rights (2023W)

The goal of this seminar is to present literary and language recognition movements in the eastern Himalayas with a particular focus on West Bengal and Sikkim from the early 20th century until today. This concerns Nepali literature, as well as the literary movements and claims for language recognition of the Bhutia, Lepcha and Limbu in Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
This seminar firstly focuses on the conditions of emergence of these movements in the early 20th century, in particular the development of Nepali literature, and colonisation. It will also highlight the different forms taken by literary/linguistic movements in the different parts of this region, as well as the connections across state and regional borders. In a second phase, the course will focus on literary movements and language recognition claims of minority groups with a particular focus on the Lepcha, Bhutia and Limbu communities. Through a comparison with Dalit and Adivasi literary movements in north-east India, the course will highlight cultural, social and political conditions of the construction of ‘literary identities’ and ‘textual cultures’ in the eastern Himalayas, and highlight the interactions between recent literary movements in the region and political claims.
The objective of this seminar is to gain knowledge on modern cultural and political history of the eastern Himalayas, on minorities’ literary movements in South Asia, on the effect colonialism in cultural dynamics, and on the interplay of literary movements and political claims. The course will also enable students to strengthen their experience in understanding academic texts, and writing an essay.
Each seminar session will focus on one academic text (article or book chapter) circulated by the lecturer, and that the students will have to read beforehand.