A talk by Mayurika Chakravorty about children’s fantasy literature and anti-colonial nationalism in Bengal.
Room 4207, 4th floor, Maanjiwe Nendamowin building,
University of Toronto Mississauga, UTM
1535 Outer Circle Mississauga, ON L5L 3E2
Mayurika Chakravorty will draw upon children’s fantasies from Bengal during the colonial period to speak about anti-colonial nationalism and the role of children’s literature, especially fantasy literature, against the backdrop of the subcontinent’s tumultuous sociopolitical landscape at the time. Particular focus will be on the genre’s propensity for subversion of authority, both political/colonial as well as cultural/literary.
Mayurika Chakravorty is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English and the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies (Childhood and Youth Studies program), Carleton University, Canada. Her research focuses on fantasy and speculative fiction; children’s literature; and the representation of children and youth in literature and media. Dr. Chakravorty holds a Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, UK and was a Felix doctoral scholar. Her first book, based on her Ph.D. research on fantasy and speculative literature in colonial India, is forthcoming in 2024.