South and Southeast Asian 250 Sec 2: City Texts: Urban Imaginaries in post-liberalization Hindi Literature

South and Southeast Asian 250 Sec 2: City Texts: Urban Imaginaries in post-liberalization Hindi Literature

Literature plays a crucial role in representing and imagining the city, providing acute observations on urban life and social processes (David Harvey). Novels, in particular, explore urban desires and motivations in relation to social forms, institutions, and conventions. The class will read excerpts from recent novels in Hindi, published after the 1991 initiation of neoliberal reforms.