Leigh Meister (Hunsaker) and Dr. Francesca Lawson, Humanities, Classics, & Comparative Literature

I can honestly say that this ORCA-sponsored research has turned out to be one of the most valuable aspects of my undergraduate career. While several elements of my finished project did not meet my initial expectations, this research opportunity taught me to be adaptable and observant. My ORCA research is the foundation for my Honors thesis, which will be submitted in its final form in the upcoming months for graduation with University Honors in April 2012. This completed thesis will be available in the Harold B. Lee Library for reference by future library patrons.

My research examined the attitudes of Indian professors toward the teaching of British colonial works, which frequently characterize Indians in a manner no longer considered politically correct in a post-colonial world. I expected this research topic to potentially touch a nerve for my subjects, especially because India gained its independence less than a century ago and many aspects of colonialism are still evident in Indian culture. For instance, I was invited to attend a luncheon at the Waltair Club, a British country club now patronized by wealthy Indian businessmen and administrators. Although the results of this small study can not appropriately be generalized as evidence to support broad assertions regarding the modern post-colonial world as a whole, this research was intended to provide a candid window into the real sentiments of Indian academics. I interviewed various professors in tandem with my own interpretation of the selected text in an effort to shed some light on the ongoing struggles that a widespread British (and therefore largely English-speaking) empire fostered.

My research was largely qualitative rather than quantitative and it is, thus, difficult to summarize the breadth of opinions expressed. Therefore, I will provide a sample of responses from the Indian professors I interviewed. Some of the professors indicated that they felt responsible to explicitly confront colonial issues in the teaching of a text like A Passage to India; one female English professor praised Forster as “a sincere writer” in expressing the real feelings of Indians toward their British rulers. In her words, “we hate you most.” Another indicated that Indian professors frequently contrast British and Indian characters in a novel like Forster’s. They develop a “culturally-noted vision of aspects of the novel” and evaluate the quality of the true Indian ambience and whether or not characters like Dr. Aziz are true to an accurate representation. A retired male English professor stated that an author like Forster is not difficult to accept because he merely presented information for evaluation and is the opposite of Kipling, who showed a strong difference between East and West. An education administrator indicated that she believes today’s Indian students do not feel a connection to Indian characters in colonial novels. The chronological distance allows students to separate their India, which has become modernized and urbanized, from the picture given by Forster in his novel.

More thorough research would naturally be required to categorize broad assertions, but these interviews with professors gave me some insight into the tools that Indian professors and students use to digest texts that might otherwise be culturally offensive. Their success in confronting this potentially difficult material has allowed them to play an important role in global academic culture, and the growth of a native-English-speaking public has allowed them to develop authority in a field that was initially foreign to their national interests. As the notion of global English expands to accept many different varieties, the walls of prejudice are gradually being broken down and scholarship profits from this larger scope of input. I hope that my research will provide useful information to the field of post-colonial studies; however, there is obviously plenty of room for many additional studies of this type. Additional research should be conducted in other areas of India as well as other formerly colonial countries, and such research should be conducted on a more long-term basis (exceeding my three-month study abroad period) so that relationships of trust can be established to promote more candid responses.

Several of the most prominent obstacles I faced as an undergraduate researcher in India were closely tied to cultural differences in customs. Even as a Western woman living in India, I was expected to uphold the same traditional dress standards as local woman, including the wearing of salwar suits and sarees; it was also difficult to travel alone and to negotiate transportation prices as a woman. In addition, because the Indian concept of time is more fluid than our American sensibility, my potential research subjects were often unavailable even during previously scheduled appointments.

Another unexpected twist in my research was the discovery that an Eastern system of education promotes a very different model of teacher/student relationships from the interactions I have consistently found at BYU. Each of my meetings with professors necessitated a formal introduction by our Indian on-site program director or one of his acquaintances. Building this network of contacts required extra time and attention to Indian social conventions, which considerably slowed the pace of my research. Because of the lecture-centered model of Indian education, undergraduate research is practically unheard of in India; this created additional barriers as many professors seemed to consider me under-qualified or ill-prepared for field research.

Initially these roadblocks were discouraging, but they taught me that my Western frame of reference is far from common in many areas of the world. Research in Southern India is, of necessity, less clinical than our strict framework of the investigator/subject relationship would permit. I visited professors in their homes and offices, and in nearly every case they provided some type of beverage or appetizer. Despite the fact that I was indebted to them for their assistance with my research, they treated me as their guest. Research in India is, as one might expect, a truly colorful experience. Although my period of research has perhaps forced me to confront more questions than answers, it has proven an immensely eye-opening (and enjoyable) opportunity