Tentative Title- Cross Imagination and Literary Production: African Writers and Indian Characters, Indo- African Writers and African Characters

Globalectics is the interrelationship of all things, the mutual containment of the local and the global.”
— Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Globalectics: Theory and the Politics of Knowing (2012)

Literary spaces have long served as sites where cultures meet, evolve, and develop. India and Africa share an intersection of colonial history, diasporic movement and cultural connection formed due to trade, migration, artistic and cultural capacity and much more. This has allowed writers from both regions to explore these entanglements and showcase characters and communities that transcend geographical, cultural, and historical boundaries.

Indian communities have been an integral part of Africa since the historical trade networks that traversed the Indian Ocean. Nevertheless, their presence on the continent became significantly more pronounced during the nineteenth century, a period marked by British colonial rule. Following the abolition of slavery, a significant number of Indians were transported to various regions in Africa as indentured labourers. This migration was primarily driven by the demand for labour to undertake essential tasks, including the construction of railways, the development of colonial infrastructure, and the cultivation of plantations. The system of indentured labour served as a means to fill the labour shortages that arose in the aftermath of the abolition, while simultaneously facilitating the colonial powers' economic interests in Africa. These workers were often derogatorily referred to as “coolies”. Eventually, these communities developed intricate identities situated at the intersection of Africa and India. They established merchant classes, professional networks and cultural connections, but also experienced racial hierarchies within colonial contexts.

 African writers often include Indian characters and communities in their works to depict shared histories of migration, colonisation and commerce, mainly in East and South Africa. Similarly, Afro-Indian writers and writers of Indian descent with connections to Africa produce narratives which explore the African characters, landscapes, memories, social worlds, identity and community bonding. These intersecting literary trajectories offer unique perspectives about belonging, race, diaspora, hybridity and cultural memory. Works of writers such as M.G. Vassanji, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Peter Nazareth, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Shailja Patel, Bahadur Tejani and Ashwin Singh serve as prototypes of the literature in question.

This edited volume invites scholarly papers examining the literary, historical and cultural intermingling between India and Africa in literature. The aim is to explore how various writers imagine the other through characters, communities and cultural encounters, and understand their relationship.

The book will be divided into two parts:

Part 1: African Writers Representing Indian Characters/Communities

For this category the contributors may address the following:

• How African writers depict Indian characters
• How African writers showcase the Indian- African relationship
• How African writers represent Indian neighbourhoods
• How African writers present Indian culture

Part 2: African Writers of Indian Descent Representing African Characters/Communities

For this category the contributors may address the following:

• How African Writers of Indian Descent depict African characters
• How African Writers of Indian Descent showcase the Indian- African relationship
• How African Writers of Indian Descent represent African neighbourhoods
• How African Writers of Indian Descent present African culture

By bringing these two worlds together, the collection seeks to accentuate an essential, yet understudied, field of Afro- Indian literary dialogue.

Abstract submission deadline:  30th April 2026

Word limit: 250- 350 words

Submissions in a word document along with a brief bio-note (100 words) may be sent to: africanliteratures@gmail.com
 

Note: The proposed book will be submitted to Brill for consideration

  Dr. Prachi Behrani (PhD)