Imaginary Maps

<p><strong><em>Imaginary Maps</em></strong> presents three stories from noted Bengali writer Mahasweta Devi in conjunction with readings of these tales by famed cultural and literary critic Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. Weaving history myth and current political realities these stories explore troubling motifs in contemporary Indian life through the figures and narratives of indigenous tribes in India. At once delicate and violent Devi's stories map the experiences of the tribals and tribal life under decolonization. In The Hunt Douloti the Bountiful and the deftly wrought allegory of tribal agony Pterodactyl Pirtha and Puran Sahay Ms. Devi links the specific fate of tribals in India to that of marginalized peoples everywhere.<br><br> Gayatri Spivak's readings of these stories connect the necessary power lines within them not only between local and international structures of power (patriarchy nationalisms late capitalism) but also to the university.</p>