Vernon Press has shown interest in the proposed book. 

Kind attention: We seek representations of minority and refrigerated cultures from Europe, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, as we have received ample representations from other parts of the world.

“No Culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive.” - Mahatma Gandhi

‘Diversity is strength, not weakness,’is an idea rapidly fading away. There are several thousand cultures, and several hundred belief systems in the world. However, only a few communities with their socio-cultural, geographical, and racial positionsdominate, the rest exist in socio-cultural outskirts. The saying, ‘majority Wins’has dangerously become, ‘minority wears away.’ While, this tendency is flourishing at the cost of secularism and pluralism at a collective level, it is causing dehumanization, hate, and violence, at individual level. Covert racism, socio-cultural hegemony, nationalism, partisanism, are paving way for totalitarianism.

Nonetheless, there are several minority cultures which survive the cultural hegemonic confrontations and persevereon. Such cultures can be termedas ‘refrigerated cultures.’ These refrigerated cultures have preserved and refrigerated their values and ways of living. These cultures are unable to survive the climate of hegemony, and as a result recourse to constricted space. In the worst scenario, these cultures are either mummified in the memories of a few individuals, or archived in the history of human civilizations.Assimilation and acculturation are progressive principles, but preservation of every culture is also equally indispensable. The cultures like–Rohingya, Khoja, Maori, and other aboriginalgroups can be called as refrigerated cultures.

Pluralism in a society is an essential aspect of humanity all over the world. It requires – being different, but living as one. It is an optimistic way forward, and literature has also thematized this. The proposed anthology seeks to discourse on the challenges of minority cultures in contemporary times, and argue, how socio-cultural pluralism is the need of the hour. The proposed book will be divided into 3 parts – where the first part will discuss the refrigerated minority cultures which continue to exist in their originalhabitat as minorities, whereas, initially, they used to dominate. As a result of either Colonialism or Expansionism, they have been victimized by circumstances. For example, Native Americans in America, aboriginal cultures in Canada, Australia, New Zealand; and Dalits and Adivasis in India. This part will also focus upon those minority groups that have become minority because of political upheaval resulting in exclusion and displacement across borders like Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan and Afghanistan and Arabs in Israel. The second part will delineatethe troubles of the communities which became minority due to the geographical dislocation either willingly or inadvertently. For instance, Africans in America and Europe and Russia; Jews in Europe;and South Asians in Europe and America.The third part will deal with the idea of human beings coexisting despitedifferences. This part will illustratepluralism, multiculturalism and harmony between races, cultures and communities.

The following subtopics may be helpful for the contributors while preparing their proposal:

1. How Minorities are presented in literature with stereotypical definitions.
2. How Minorities redefine their identity through literature.
3. How violence is used to suppress and sabotage the Minorities, as represented in literature.
4. How Minorities are excluded from Politics, Economics, Religion and Narratives, as represented in literature.
5. Idea of Homeland and golden past among Minority groups, as represented in literature.
6. Migration and Nation as defining factors for Minority groups, as represented in literature.
7. Exile, trauma and terror as controllingfactors for Minorities, as represented in Literature.
8. Harmony and coexistence among various cultural groups, as represented in literature.
9. Idea of Love and sacrifice beyond races, cultures and communities, as presented in literature.

Note:

1. The renowned International Vernon Press has expressed interest in our proposed book

2. The contributors should submit abstracts of not more than 400 words with 150 words author’s bio before 27.10.2020.

3. The contributors will be notified about their selection or rejection before 31.10.2020.

4. The chapters of 5000 to 7000 words will be due before 10.12.2020.

5. All submissions and inquiries may be sent to shubhankukochar@ipu.ac.in and anjumkhanrs@gmail.com