Translation and modernity 20th century Manipur

Abstract

Over the last few decades Translation Studies as an emerging research area has proved itself crucial in understanding how certain rationalities were negotiated between cultures and languages. The cultural turn in Translation Studies has forged a new path to foray into the realm of understanding modernity in Manipur through its literary discourse using translation as a site of critical analysis. In the context of Manipur, the engagement with modernity which was introduced during the colonial period (1891-1947) largely informed the present discourse and the framework of constructing the literature, culture and history of Manipur. newlineThe present research work is an attempt to observe and theorize the nature of Manipurand#8223;s engagement with the idea of modernity and the role that translation played in the construction of colonial modernity. Using an interdisciplinary research method, the thesis looks at the confluence of history, literature and translation to identify the issues of power, dominance and hierarchy. Divided into two parts, the first part of the thesis focuses on making an analysis of the translation corpus/activities in Manipur in the 20th century. Through mapping out two trajectories of translation projects in Manipur during the colonial era (1891 1947), the thesis argues that translation served as a modernising agent via projecting the Indo-Aryan culture as modern/legitimate as opposed to the indigenous culture as traditional/outdated. The first trajectory traces the implications of the translations of textbooks as a direct result of the introduction of modern education in colonial Manipur, while the later discusses the translations of Sanskrit religious texts as an indication of the merging of the Indo-Aryan hegemony within the tradition of colonial modernity in Manipur. newlineThe second part of the thesis investigates the formation of modern Manipuri literature through examining the works of three prominent modern Manipuri writers: Khwairakpam newlinexv newlineChaobaand#8223;s Labangga Lata, Lamabam Kamaland#8223;s Madhabi and Hijam Angangha