Centre for South Asian Studies

Description

CSAS Seminar Series hosts Dr Anurima Chanda to talk on 'Recalibrating Indian Childhoods: Exploring Texts and Reimagining Theoretical Frameworks that Decentre Dominant Childhood Models'. 

Children’s literature in India, as a distinct category, emerged during the colonial era, largely shaped by British missionaries who introduced books specifically for children. Prior to this, India’s rich oral traditions, which engaged young audiences, were not exclusively aimed at children. Colonialism brought Western ideas of childhood, often idealising childhood in ways that did not reflect the diversity of experiences in a country like India. This constructed image of childhood (especially those in the English language) institutionalised inequality, privileging the elite while sidelining children from marginalised communities. In post-independence India, children’s literature became a tool for promoting nationalism, focusing on idealised portrayals of unity and progress, while glossing over the complexities of social, cultural, and economic differences. Early works often focused on folk tales and biographies of national leaders, with an emphasis on building national pride. Over time, the genre began to borrow from Western ideals of childhood, which were aspirational but did not fully engage with the socio-political realities of Indian society. In the past two decades, however, a shift has occurred. Independent publishing houses have begun to open space for a more nuanced representation of childhood, engaging with issues such as poverty, illiteracy, child labor, violence, and caste and gender divides—subjects previously considered taboo in children’s literature. The first part of the talk will explore this shift and highlight works that challenge the “one-size-fits-all” notion of childhood. 

The second part of my talk will focus on the theoretical frameworks required to engage with these contemporary works. Drawing from my current research, I will advocate for a decolonised approach to childhood studies that incorporates indigenous knowledge. Specifically, I will investigate a key site of knowledge production in colonial India that played a crucial role in shaping public opinion. By examining colonial-era periodicals, I will attempt to uncover early Indian conceptions of childhood and explore how these texts can offer alternative perspectives that move beyond Western constructs of childhood.