Jul31

No surprises, one mistake

The Times of India reports that Indian-Americans spend 3½ hours a month on the phone to India. If it was any other group instead of Indian-Americans, the preceding sentence should have ended with an exclamation mark. Given that its American desis we are talking about, it’s a pity there is no such thing […]

Jul24

Namaste, mate!

Not long ago, English speaking classes sprouted up all over urban and small-town India. Many promised to teach an impeccable RP or an easy Southern drawl. Others peddled insights into the Western mind, presenting Euro-American culture (cinema, literature, slang, gastronomy, etc.) in encapsulated, easy to assimilate form. The boom still continues. A Canadian […]

Jul20

Cultural imperialism

Social theorists, especially those engaged in what has come to be known as postcolonial studies, speak of a thing called cultural imperialism. Cultural imperialism is the process by which a dominant power either imposes or insinuates its mainstream culture over or into the culture of the peoples and societies it dominates. Since the […]