Socio-Cultural Dimensions of the Twentieth-Century Indian Criticism/Theory

Abstract

During the late 1990s, there was a sense of exhaustion with theories, as indicated by phrases like "death of theory," "post-theory," and "after-theory." This was reflected in the works of Thomas Docherty, Judith Butler, Terry Eagleton, and Valentine Cunningham. However, in the early 2000s, Nicolas Bourriaud's concept of the "death of postmodernism" and similar ideas created new opportunities for theoretical exploration, albeit with diminished influence, in Western societies. Subsequently, after publishing his book After Theory in 2003, Eagleton released How to Read a Poem in 2006. Other critics also produced comparable works, such as Reading after Theory in 2002 and Life after Theory in 2003. These works emphasised the importance of the text in educational settings.

It is evident that English academia, particularly in the Western countries, appears to have exhausted its interest in Theory. On the other hand, Indian academia seems to be entangled in its own state of confusion, with an increasing number of dissertations being written each year that apply various theories to texts without any significant connection. Zena Hitz's proposition to rejuvenate Indian universities by reverting to classical origins is opportune in this context. If the solutions to humanity's future inquiries have been concealed within its history, why not also with the field of humanities?