This volume, a selection of the essays presented at the thirteenth triennial conference of ACLALS held in Hyderabad in 2004, examines some of the defining aspects of Indian culture and its literary manifestations. The emancipatory appeal of belonging to a nation in this era of globalization, the varied discourses on the history and social dynamics of India and their impact on Indian people, the diasporic literature of the writers of Indian diaspora, and the complex mindsets of postcolonial and neocolonial subjectivities are some of the many issues interrogated in this study.

T Vijay Kumar is Professor of English at Osmania University, Hyderabad. He was Treasurer ACLALS from 2001 to 2004.

Meenakshi Mukherjee is a former Professor of English at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She was Chairperson ACLALS from 2001 to 2004.

Harish Trivedi is Professor of English at Delhi University, Delhi. He was Vice-Chairperson ACLALS from 2001 to 2004. C Vijayasree is Professor of English at Osmania University, Hyderabad. She was Vice-Chairperson and Secretary ACLALS from 2001 to 2004.

Contributors : Rumina Sethi, Shyamala A Narayan, Jayita Sengupta, Karni Pal Bhati, D Himalayanath, Vibha S Chauhan, C L L Jayaprada, Murari Prasad, Someshwar Sati, Sandra Ponzanesi, Geetanjali Singh Chandra Rajendra Chetty Ketu H Katrak, Donna Coates, Feroza Jussawalla and Amrit Biswas.