Journal of Fantastic in the Arts 28.1 (2018). 102-122

Honorable mention for the IAFA Jamie Bishop Award

Abstract

In this paper, I propose a thematic overview of kalpavigyan or science fiction (sf) in the Bangla language in terms of its link to the imperial imaginary. I look at current theories on global sf that are alert to the role of imperialism, especially John Rieder, Istvan Csicsery-Ronay, Jr., and Patricia Kerslake, which deal primarily with sf produced by former colonial powers, may be extended in crucial ways in the context of sf produced by writers from the Empire’s others, both before and after independence. Using the lens of genre criticism and select Bangla texts from 1890-1990 as material, I explore thematic nodes in Bangla kalpavigyan that may have wider applicability for global sf. I identify three such nodes: one, a tendency towards self-reflexive parody that consistently mocks the appropriation of ‘Western’ science from a nationalist perspective while being open to it as a tool for progress of the underdeveloped ‘native’; two, imagining utopian alternative histories of universalism (or humanism) while being fully saturated with nationalist/ethnic images for purposes of cultural pride, and; three, the tendency to continually appropriate pre-colonial myths for their supposed scientific content in order to create a sense of self-worth and identity.