New Books in Critical Theory Sourit Bhattacharya, "Postcolonialism Now: Literature, Reading, Decolonising" (Orient BlackSwan, 2024)
Feb 13, 2026
Sourit Bhattacharya, a lecturer in global anglophone literatures and author of Postcolonialism Now, explores decolonial reading and comparative close readings. He traces how migration, ecology, trauma, minorities and futurity reshape literary interpretation. Conversation ties classroom practice to social movements and rethinking how we read across forms and geographies.
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Refugee School Shaped His Inquiry
- Sourit Bhattacharya recounts growing up in Alipurduar and attending a 'Refugee Rehabilitation' primary school labeled RR.
- He links this personal migration background to his lifelong interest in identity, displacement, and postcolonial questions.
Postcolonialism As Everyday, Political Practice
- Bhattacharya argues postcolonialism remains alive in everyday life, not just as a historical 'after'.
- He centers reading as a politicizing, interventionist practice that links literature to public action.
Use Reading To Mobilize Theory Into Practice
- Read literature closely and comparatively to politicize reading rather than privileging only heavy theoretical readings.
- Use reading as a spiral: learn from texts, act in the world, then return to revise readings and theory.
