The Frail Hero And Virile History: Gender And The Politics Of Culture In Colonial Bengal

"The Frail Hero and Virile History opens with this provocative poem and uses the strong, contrasting imagery of the heroic goddess Durga and the weak, grovelling Bengali male to problematize the conventional understanding of nationalist identity. Indira Chowdhury focuses on the multiple icons of identity that evolved around the colonial stereotypes and analyses their role in the nationalist project. It is the journey of this 'effeminate' Bengali to reclaim his 'lost' masculinity and reposses his history that this book examines. Demonstrating the centrality of gender in the formation of a national identity, Indira Chowdhury opens up fresh ways of scrutinising the links between nationalism and Indian modernity, examining how indigenous cultural forms are converted into resources for a modern political identity. Critically analysing the persistent self-image of frailty, the author examines the textual and organizational aspects of the ideology of the Hindu mela; Sati and motherhood; Vivekananda's role in constructing of ideals of masculinity; and the songs and rituals of the swadeshi movement. An essential read for all those interested in colonialism, gender politics and social history of colonial Bengal.