Disowning Imperialism and Remembering Dhaka University in A.G. Stock’s Travelogue

Authors

  • Zerin Alam Professor, Department of English, University of Dhaka, Dhaka

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3329/spectrum.v16i100.61063

Keywords:

Travel writing, English language teaching, colonial representation, postimperial, women travellers

Abstract

Memoirs of Dacca University is the record of a British teacher’s experience of being Head of the English Department at the transitional time of 1947 to 1951. The traveller’s focus on Dhaka University makes it a valuable historic document of the institution in her depiction of the challenges of English language teaching in a former colony. The aim of this article is to analyze A. G. Stock’s memoir as an example of post-imperial travelogue and to examine the traveller’s attempts to overcome colonial representations in her treatment of Dhaka University and the people she encounters. I show how Stock’s text differs from colonial travel writing and embraces a more empathetic and liberal view in her analysis and description of the university and East Pakistan. At the same time, following Holland and Huggan (2000), I also interrogate and trace the lingering residues of a colonial discourse in this travel narrative.

Spectrum, Volume 16, June 2021: 24-39

Abstract
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Published

2022-11-17

How to Cite

Alam, Z. . (2022). Disowning Imperialism and Remembering Dhaka University in A.G. Stock’s Travelogue. Spectrum, 16(100), 24–39. https://doi.org/10.3329/spectrum.v16i100.61063

Issue

Section

Centenary Articles