On 4th
October 2011, the Indo-Canadian Studies Centre (ICSC)
had organised the first two lectures in its Lecture
Series initiative where two international scholars
in the field of Indo-Canadian Studies gave lectures
at the University of Mumbai.
The
first lecture was given by Professor Susan Fisher,
Professor of English at the University of the Fraser
Valley, Canada on The Great War: Canada’s
Creation Story? Dr. Fisher spoke on how the
first world war resulted in poetry and literature
that came to symbolise the Canadian Nation and in
that sense became the foundational creation story of
Canada.
The
second lecture was given by Professor Barbara
Schmidt-Haberkamp, Professor of English at the
University of Bonn, Germany, on Spatial Politics
in Yann Martel's Life of Pi. Dr. Schmidt-Haberkamp
spoke of how the protagonist of the novel is stuck
on the boat and has to share the cramped space with
a Royal Bengal tiger. He survives like this for many
months until he reaches the shore. Through this
novel Dr. Schmidt-Haberkamp dealt with how space is
a major marker in this novel and subsequently in the
lives of the diasporics.
The
lectures were attended by university students and
faculty members. Also with their responses the
audience made the lectures a very enriching
experience.
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