CREATING THE NATION ON THE PAGE: THE IMAGINED NATIONHOOD IN RAJA RAO’S KANTHAPURA

Abstract

Raja Rao’s Kanthapura (1938) focuses on the story of how Gandhian ideology reaches the village of Kanthapura and changes the villagers’ lives drastically. Rao’s portrayal of national identity, by putting the village in the center, relies heavily on the use of centuries-old Indian culture and traditions in order to create a sense of shared history and collective sense of belonging against British colonialism. In the novel, the villagers re-discover their shared cultural and religious past in their attempt to find the strength to fight against colonial domination and envision a new society. Thus, the narrative’s imagining of the future society follows a past-oriented trajectory, namely combining the past, present and future in the microcosmos of the village. I contend that the temporal origin of the projected nationhood determines the limitations and possibilities for the formation of the idea of nation and the future society.

Keywords

• Postcolonial literature
• India
• national culture
• Raja Rao
• Kanthapura

ULUSU SAYFAYA TAŞIMAK: RAJA RAO’NUN KANTHAPURA ADLI ESERİNDE ULUS TAHAYYÜLÜ

Öz

Raja Rao’nun Kanthapura adlı eseri, Gandhi’ye ait fikirlerin ve ideolojinin Kanthapura adlı köye ulaşması ve buradaki yaşam üzerinde yarattığı kapsamlı değişime yoğunlaşmaktadır. Rao’nun köyü merkeze koyan ulusal kimlik betimlemesi, İngiliz sömürgeciliğine karşı ortak bir tarih ve kolektif aidiyet bilinci yaratma amacıyla yüzyıllara dayanan Hint kültürü ve geleneklerinin kullanılmasını temel almaktadır. Romanda, kolonyal baskıyla mücadele etme ve yeni bir toplum tahayyül etme gücü arayan köylüler, ortak kültürel ve dini geçmişlerini yeniden keşfederler. Böylelikle anlatının gelecekteki topluma dair tahayyülü geçmiş odaklı bir yol izler ve geçmiş, şimdi ve geleceği köy mikrokosmosunda bir araya getirir. Bu çalışma, tahayyül edilen ulus fikrine ait zamansal kaynağın ulus ve gelecekteki toplum fikrinin oluşumundaki olanak ve kısıtlamaları belirlediğini ileri sürmektedir. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Postkolonyal Edebiyat
• Hindistan
• Ulusal Kültür
• Raja Rao
• Kanthapura

Kaynakça

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