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The Rumour of Calcutta

Tourism, Charity and the Poverty of Representation

John Hutnyk

A study of the politics of representation which explores the construction of a city of intensities.
  • Overview
  • Table of Contents
  • Reviews
  • Details

Description

An extraordinary study of the politics of representation, this book explores the discursive construction of a ‘city of intensities‘.

The author analyses representations of Calcutta in a wide variety of discourses: in the gossip and travellor-lore of backpackers and volunteer charity workers; in writing - from classic literature to travel guides; in cinema, photography and maps. The book shows how the rumours of westerners contribute to the elaboration of an imaginary city; and in doing so, circulate in ways fundamental to the maintenance of international order.

A provocative and original reading of both Heidegger and Marx, the book also draws upon writers as diverse as Spivak, Trinh, Jameson, Clifford, Virilio, Bataille, Derrida, Deleuze and Guattari. As such it is essential reading for students and scholars in cultural studies, anthropology, development and sociology.

Table of Contents

  • Contents 
  • 1. Calcutta Cipher 
  • 2. Travellers in Calcutta 
  • 3. Writing Calcutta: Travelling with Lèvi-Strauss and Gunter Grass 
  • 4. Cartographies 
  • 5. Photogenic Calcutta 
  • 6. Cinematic Calcutta 
  • Conclusion

Reviews

'Among the most intensive, original and theoretically sophisticated critical studies of contemporary tourism.'
George Marcus, Professor of Anthropology, Rice University

'Excellent... in some places exciting, in others brilliant.'
Ashis Nandy, Center for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi

Details

Publication Date: 1 October 1996
256 pages

Product ISBNs: Paperback: 9781856494083
Library Edition: 9781856494076

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To request free review copies or inspection copies of this title or to learn more about our academic publishing, visit Zed Scholar.

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