Welcome to the IAFOR Journal of Arts & Humanities – Volume 11 – Issue 2
Dear readers,
In this volume of the IAFOR Journal of Arts and Humanities, we explore a diverse range of topics within the humanities, engaging with issues of trauma, identity, power dynamics, and resistance through a variety of critical lenses. The articles herein reflect the breadth and depth of contemporary scholarship, offering insightful readings of literature, film, visual arts, and political discourse. Each contribution brings forth new perspectives on how cultural artifacts – whether narratives, rituals, or performances – serve as sites of negotiation, healing, and transformation. The collection invites readers to reconsider familiar texts and media, offering nuanced interpretations that challenge dominant paradigms and open up new avenues of thought.
In “Representation of Traumatic Memory in the Film Drishyam: A Barthesian Reading”, Srilekha B. P. and V. Bharathi Harishankar draw on Roland Barthes’ semiotic theories to explore how trauma unfolds in the Malayalam film Drishyam. By analyzing the emotional and psychological impact of a single traumatic event, Srilekha examines the complex interplay between individual, familial, and communal responses to loss, offering a thoughtful meditation on the multifaceted nature of memory and trauma.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijah.11.2.01
Saru Sachdeva and Rekha Ran in “Witchery as Tribal Primary Ethos: Negotiations and Resistance in Select Literary Representations”, delve into the role of witchcraft within tribal societies, using it as a lens through which to explore gendered power relations. Rani argues that the concept of witchery, deeply embedded in indigenous traditions and folklore, not only reflects but also reinforces patriarchal structures, positioning tribal women as particularly vulnerable within both tribal and non-tribal contexts.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijah.11.2.02
Mitali Mishra’s “Recovering the Loss: Infanticide, Ambivalence and Trauma in Shobha Rao’s ‘The Lost Ribbon’” explores the intersection of motherhood and trauma in Rao’s short story. Through a feminist reading of the act of infanticide in the context of India’s Partition, Mishra reveals the ways in which patriarchal ideologies and social inequalities shape the emotional and psychological landscapes of women, highlighting the ambivalence and trauma that linger long after the physical act.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijah.11.2.03
In “Narrative Environment of Malgudi: Space, Autonomy, and Belonging”, Gouthaman K J and Nandini Pradeep J offer a spatial analysis of R. K. Narayan’s “Malgudi stories”, investigating how space and social structures interact to shape the lives of its inhabitants. By examining the social production of space within the narrative, the authors underscore the contested nature of belonging and autonomy in the fictional world of Malgudi, revealing the layers of meaning embedded in seemingly simple landscapes.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijah.11.2.04
Smaranika Chakraborty and Himangshu Sarma, in “Interpreting the Erotic as Agency: A Study of Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood”, revisits Murakami’s portrayal of sexuality and female agency. Drawing from feminist theory, particularly Audre Lorde’s conceptualization of the erotic as empowering, the authors challenge traditional understandings of sexuality as defined by male dominance, arguing instead for a more nuanced conception of the erotic as a site of female empowerment.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijah.11.2.05
In “Adivasi Marginality and the Vicissitudes of Violence in Rejina Marandi’s Becoming Me”, Sayan Chatterjee examines the systemic violence and marginalization faced by Adivasi communities in Assam, India, through the lens of Marandi’s novel. Chatterjee illuminates the intersection of identity, violence, and displacement, exploring how narratives like Marandi’s reflect the complex realities of Adivasi life and the persistence of socio-political oppression.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijah.11.2.06
Samarth Singhal’s “From Painting to Picturebook: Bhajju Shyam’s Insider Indigenous Art” offers a close reading of Bhajju Shyam’s Creation, an exploration of Pardhan Gond origin stories. Singhal highlights Shyam’s role in shaping an insider’s history of Gond art, positioning his work as both a reclamation of cultural narrative and a critique of the outsider gaze that has historically marginalized Indigenous communities.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijah.11.2.07
Sumita and Mayur Chhikara's “Liberation via Reliving the Suffering: A Study of August Wilson’s Monologues” presents a deconstructive analysis of August Wilson’s plays, focusing on the therapeutic potential of the monologue. By applying Freud’s theory of repression, Sumita explores how African American characters use the act of storytelling to relive trauma and, in doing so, open up pathways for both individual and collective liberation.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijah.11.2.08
Sanghamitra Ghatak, in “Apocalypse, Gothic and Rupturing of Societal Hierarchy: An Interpretation of Marxian Tendencies in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”, examines the 2009 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, interpreting its zombie apocalypse as a Marxist critique of capitalist society. Ghatak contends that the zombification of Austen’s world exposes the class struggles at the heart of the social order, symbolizing the dehumanizing effects of capitalist exploitation.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijah.11.2.09
In “Affects of Resistance: Candomblé Rituals in Contemporary Brazilian Fiction”, Parvathi M. S. analyses the role of Afro-Brazilian Candomblé rituals in the novel Crooked Plow. Drawing on affect theory, Parvathi explores how the rituals become a form of political resistance, enabling characters to mobilize against historical and contemporary forms of oppression.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijah.11.2.10
Finally, in “Rock Music and The Political Scripting of Vietnam War: Reading Dispatches by Michael Herr”, Lalit Kumar investigates the interplay between music and narrative in Herr’s Dispatches, a seminal account of the Vietnam War. Kumar explores how Herr’s use of musical references contributes to a broader cultural understanding of the war, framing it as a media montage that both reflects and shapes public perceptions of the conflict.
https://doi.org/10.22492/ijah.11.2.11
This volume is a testament to the vitality and diversity of contemporary humanities scholarship. Each article offers a fresh perspective, engaging with cultural artifacts in ways that enrich our understanding of power, identity, and resistance in both historical and contemporary contexts. Together, these contributions highlight the importance of interdisciplinary approaches and critical engagement with cultural texts, encouraging readers to reconsider the forces that shape our understanding of the world.
Alfonso J. García-Osuna, Editor
Hofstra University, December 20, 2024