Introduction:
  India is a cultural buffet! With hundreds of languages and dozens of distinct ethnic groups, the culture and traditions of India are very diverse from the Himalayas to Kerala. This is facilitated by India’s unique geographic position. Additionally, India featured many important trade hubs for the Silk Road, facilitating cultural diffusion across three continents. India has made numerous contributions to academia and society, whether it be through the numbers we use today in the Western world, or the practices that make up New-Age Spirituality, such as yoga. Historically, India has been under the rule of many indigenous empires, such as the Vijayanagara and Mughal Empires. India was a cultural and economic powerhouse leading up to the Modern Era (1750-1900), when it fell victim to European colonialism, specifically that of Britain.
  Although India is a distinct country located in South Asia, this website explores the Indian subcontinent as a whole due to its equal involvement in the history and the literary culture of India.
  The literary tradition of India is heavily connected to the British presence in colonial India, with many academic institutions and novelists still publishing English-language works. The English presence and language in India had brought with it many new ideas regarding how to function as a society and as a nation. For example, Enlightenment beliefs of human potential and freedom resonated with women’s rights organizations in 19th and 20th century India. While the English language in India can serve as a symbol of colonial oppression, it is also used as a vehicle of conveying ideas surrounding Indian resistance to colonialism and a deep appreciation for Indian culture and values. My website seeks to explore how English-language literature in India was and is being used as a means of liberation from societal oppression in India stemming from and independent from British colonialism.
  India’s rich spiritual tradition brings with it works of literature surrounding themes pertinent to Indian culture such as dharma, devotion to a higher force, and (to an extent) an appreciation for the Earth and its primordial essence. My website explores how Indian spirituality posits itself within multiple of the literary works I have chosen.
  In opposition to the individualistic nature of the post-Enlightenment West, Indian culture is very community-oriented in nature. The family stands as the basic and most important unit for social organization. My website explores how this establishes kinship and symbiotic culture, as well as how the long-standing beliefs regarding family and community often inhibit the freedoms of the individual, particularly women.