In his first trip to India, Stanford scholar Roland Greene shares his pleasure at sharing and discovering nuances in literature from various perspectives at ‘Theory Praxis on Baroque and Early Modern Cultural Change’ he is co-running at English and Foreign Languages University (ELFU).
Organised by Forum on Contemporary Theory in Baroda, Theory Praxis presents a public sphere for academics who revere international literatures, inviting participants to extrapolate and debate. The workshop, split into two courses, has Roland spearheading the first while Galin Tihanov from Queen Mary University does the second.
Reflecting with peers
Often referring to students and fellow scholars as peers, he unravels the similarities and differences that came to his notice due to the cross-cultural verge, “I had an idea of Hyderabad’s distinctive history and its absorption into the rest of India following independence. What I didn’t appreciate before was the cultural richness of the place and the beauty of the Old City and the palaces.”
The pan-Indian workshop attendees, together with Roland, had a fruitful two weeks in studying historical literatures. “It was great finding a groove for intellectual exchange and the academic styles in the US and here are somewhat different. What I noted was the students — whether they’re post-graduates or doctoral — are more deferential than I’m used to and a little bit shy about sharing their opinions. By the end of the workshop, they embraced the idea that this is meant to be a cross-cultural professional experience. They have been receptive in that they’re debating with one another and have become more comfortable with the give-and-take I’m used to — and one can always gain from learning about a different academic culture.”
It is with this appreciation that Roland looks forward to seeing where his peers are headed professionally and academically.
On Baroque
“It’s not that the Baroque is unknown in India, but on the basis of what participants have told me, it’s a concept of what they know in a dictionary sense.” Roland shares, “These are people who are professors or aim to be, they share they’ve only had superficial or surface level acquaintances with it. Some of the participants are scholars of irrelevant periods to the workshop, such as Elizabethan literature, or 17th Century literature. In that sense it was very helpful to me to define and describe the Baroque in front of a community of scholars who didn’t have any prior knowledge of it, but somehow bring their own expertise. They challenged a number of things I said about the Baroque. For example, they’re very interested in the 20th Century relevance of the Baroque and how one might think about Magical Realism.” It is during such engaging discourses where Roland’s peers have provided him with unique insight on a topic he is largely considered to be an expert himself.
Derived from the Portuguese barroco or ‘oddly-shaped pearl,’ the term Baroque is used to describe a prominent art culture which reigned from 1600 till 1750. The 150 year ‘rule’ spread its wings globally and continues to influence much of today’s literature, music and other arts. Baroque influences have melded into India’s culture, especially the architecture of some of the country’s most prominent churches such as the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Goa and Fort Bassein in Maharashtra.
Intensely studied in the workshop was Shakespeare’s employment of Baroque mannerisms in his writing, which much of India’s literary circles enjoy, such as plots featuring elaborate deceits and models of aristocracy.