Kolkata, Aug 12 (IBNS): Oxford Bookstore, in association with Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd., on Saturday hosted an interactive session with academician and feminist writer, Barnita Bagchi on the release of her book ‘The Politics of the (Im)Possible’.
The book was launched by academician Supriya Chaudhuri on Saturday.
The book ‘The Politics of the (Im) Possible’ deals with the ideas of 'Utopia' and 'Dystopia' from a rich breadth of disciplines namely history, literature, gender studies, political science, sociology, anthropology, and Native American studies.
Speaking about the book, Bagchi said, “The book deals with two concepts- utopia and dystopia, which are very fundamental concepts and modes of thought.”
“This book is a collection of essays, a collective effort of the contributors from France, Ireland, Canada, and other places.”
Revealing more about her thought on the ideas of 'Utopia' and 'Dystopia', Bagchi said, “The concept of utopia and dystopia do indeed vary across culture and times. But, it would be interesting to know that Mahatma Gandhi, with his idea of Ashram and Sevagram methods and Tagore with his idea of Santiniketan were Utopian writers and thinkers of the contemporary time.”
Bagchi added, “I would say that for me, South Asian feminist Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain’s book ‘Paddorag’ is an excellent example of both utopia and dystopia.”
Academician Supriya Chaudhuri and the Director General of the National Library, Swapan K Chakravorty, praising Barnita Bagchi in the interactive session said the book is an excellent work on the themes of utopia and dystopia.
Swapan K Chakravorty also added that for him Bengali novelist Manik Bandopadhyay’s novel ‘Padma Nadir Majhi’ (The Boatman on The River Padma) is a perfect example dealing with the two ideas.
