The Babu’s Burden: Decoding identity through Satire in Colonial India

Описание: The Babu’s Burden: Decoding identity through Satire in Colonial India
Himaghna Bandyopadhyay

Description:
Mockery defined as a contemptuous action or as a subject of laughter, mostly has been a political medium. It also serves as an important source not only to trace the critic, embodied through insults and teasing, of power and authority, but also to document social reaction to various socio-political developments. However, these are not the only lens through which mockery can be interpreted. In colonial Bengal, a new class emerged, known as the Bhadraloks, vis-à-vis Babus who soon entered the ranks of colonial employment after acquiring western education. This new class, now learned in western curriculum, defined their lifestyle along European lines, mimicking a different culture. What accompanied the emergence of this new class, were different sources of satire mocking them. Therefore, I aim, in the paper, to establish how these works of satire document the identity of the Babus. Although there are numerous historical accounts that investigate and define the evolving identity of the Babus, a question that has remained unanswered was, how works of satire also reflect the social reaction not only to the new class but also to the changing socio-political climate in colonial India.
Therefore, the primary question that this paper seeks to answer is to show how works of satire can also serve as a great source of historical evidence, in this case in redefining the Babus, as it provides a space for ideas that might not have seen the light of the day because of falling prey to counter-
“establishment” voices.

About the Conference:
The Humor Research Conference is hosted annually by East Texas A&M University. The conference brings together scholars and practitioners to explore research on humor across disciplines. For more information, visit www.etamu.edu/humor

#hrc2026 #humor #humorresearch #etamu