The Other in South Asian Religion, Literature and Film ─ Perspectives on Otherism and Otherness

Looking at the discourse of otherism and issue of otherness in South Asian religion, literature and film, this book examines cultural questions related to the human condition of being the ‘other’, of the process of ‘othering’ and of the representation of ‘otherness’ and its religion, cultural and ideological implications.

The book applies the perspective of ideological criticism, theories of hybridity, orientalism, nationalism, and gender and queer studies to gain new insights into the literature, film and culture of South Asia. It looks at the different ways of interpreting ‘otherness’, and of the cultural meaning of ‘other’, ‘othering’ and ‘otherness’ today. The book goes on to analyse the ideological implications of the creation of ‘otherness’ with regard to religious and cultural identity and the legitimation of power, as well as how the representation of ‘otherness’ reflects the power-structures of contemporary societies in South Asia.

Offering a well-thought reflection on important cultural questions as well as a deep insight into the study of religion and ‘otherness’ in South Asian literature and film, this book is a pioneering project that is of interest to scholars of South Asian Studies, South Asian religions, literatures and cultures.

Diana Dimitrova is Associate Professor of Hinduism and South Asian religions at the University of Montreal, Canada. She is the author of Western Tradition and Naturalistic Hindi Theatre (2004) and Gender, Religion and Modern Hindi Drama (2008), and is the editor of Religion in Literature and Film in South Asia (2010).