South Asia in Transition: A Literary Cartography

Over the last two decades of the present century, South Asian literature has come to occupy a decisive space in world literature, offering rich and complex representations of societies shaped by colonial histories, postcolonial negotiations and contemporary global forces. Spanning nations such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Afghanistan—as well as an extensive global diaspora—South Asian literary texts interrogate questions of identity, belonging, power, and resistance across temporal and spatial boundaries. From Partition narratives and post-Partition identities to questions of caste, gender, sexuality, religion, and ecological crisis, literary texts from the region reveal how personal lives intersect with larger structures of power. These narratives not only document trauma and displacement but also negotiate memory, survival, and reconfigured identities. This edited volume seeks to map the journey of South Asian literature as it engages with the enduring and emerging socio-political, cultural, and historical events.

The volume also invites critical engagement with diasporic writing, where migration, transnational belonging, and cultural hybridity reshape notions of home and identity. Similarly, indigenous and regional literatures confront the dominant literary canons by foregrounding local histories, oral traditions, and marginalized voices often excluded from mainstream discourse. Children’s literature and youth narratives further contribute to these conversations by shaping early understandings of nation, difference, morality, and social justice. In recent decades, South Asian literature has increasingly responded to globalization, capitalism, and urbanization, reflecting anxieties around economic inequality, cultural homogenization, and environmental degradation. Ecocritical readings highlight how climate change, land displacement, and environmental exploitation intersect with postcolonial and neoliberal realities. Additionally, literature’s dialogue with cinema and visual culture demonstrates how narratives travel across media, influencing popular imagination and political consciousness. This edited volume also aims to explore literature’s engagement with political hegemony, state power, censorship, and ideological control, examining how writers resist, negotiate, or reproduce dominant narratives. Through interdisciplinary and comparative approaches, the collection seeks to offer nuanced insights into South Asia’s plural realities and contested histories.

Sub-Themes (but not limited to):

• Postcolonial trauma, memory, and historiography
• Narratives of the South Asian diaspora and transnational identities 
• Gender, sexuality, and intersectionality in South Asian texts
• Caste, social hierarchy, and literary resistance 
• Partition narratives and post-Partition identity
• Indigenous, tribal, and regional literatures 
• Children’s literature and youth narratives in South Asia 
• Environmental narratives and ecocriticism 
• Religious identity, pluralism, and sectarian tensions 
• Globalization, capitalism, and urban transformation 
• South Asian literature in cinema and visual adaptations
• Literature, ideology, and political hegemony

Important Dates:

• Last date of submission of abstract: 28/02/2026
• Acceptance of abstract: 05/03/2026
• Last date of submission of full paper: 31/03/2026
• Request for late submission shall not be entertained.

Editors:

• Dr. Sanjukta Chatterjee, Associate Professor of English, Raiganj University, West Bengal, India.
• Sougata Sahoo, Faculty, Department of English, Egra S.S.B College, Vidyasagar University.
• Surasree Deb Barman, Faculty, Department of English, Birsa Munda College, University of North Bengal.

Submission Guidelines:

• Articles must be original and unpublished. Submission will imply that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere. Write your article in English only.
• Mail an abstract of 250-300 words. Only selected articles will be included in the edited volume.
• The articles should be in the 4000 - 4500 words range (including works cited).
• All submissions should follow the Modern Language Association of America (MLA) style and format (8th ed.).
• Page size should be A-4 (8.5 x 11-inches/ 21 x 29.7 cm). All margins (left, right, top, and bottom) should be 1 inch (2.54 cm), including your tables and figures.
• Single-space your text and use a single-column layout with both left and right margins justified. Include page numbers but no headers or footers.
• All submissions must be in English. Except for common foreign words and phrases, the use of foreign words and phrases should be avoided. Authors should use proper, standard English grammar.
• The contributors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce any material, including photographs and illustrations for which they do not hold copyright.
• Set the font colour to black. The use of colour in the production of figures, maps, etc., is allowed. however, the print edition of the document will be black & white.
• Tables and Figures should appear in the document near where they are referenced in the text. Large tables or figures should be put on pages by themselves. Avoid the use of overly small type in tables. In no case should tables or figures be in a separate document or file. All tables and figures must fit within 1.5" margins on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right) in both portrait and landscape view.
• Contributors are requested to send the author's 'bio-note' (with official E-mail ID) in the third person singular number in 50 words.
• Any form of canvassing on the part of the contributor is not allowed.
• After proper verification, review, and editing (if necessary), an acceptance letter will be sent to the prospective contributors on behalf of the editors of the edited volume.
• The submission of full paper should be accompanied by a Declaration Form to be pasted on the email.
• Send your full article in the following email ID: southasianlit24@gmail.com