Reading the nation in war
Gita Viswanath, in her recent book The "Nation" in War: A Study of Military Literature and Hindi War Cinema, states at the outset, "This study seeks to examine the notions of nation and nationalism in war narratives", and the book does offer an interesting catalogue of such narratives in the Indian context. Such an endeavour is important given that analyses of war in India, and indeed the Subcontinent, tend to focus mostly on military tactics and/or regimental histories as well as policy imperatives from a strategic international relations perspective. Following the 1999 Kargil War there have been some works on the impact of the media on perceptions of the nation at war. Viswanath's book is unique in its focus on war memoirs and war films and the ways in which they engender the nation. The chapter on war memoirs is potentially the most valuable, both in terms of highlighting texts that may not be well-known outside specialist circles as well as in the insights they offer.
THE SOUTHASIAN MILITARY COMPLEX:
WEB-EXCLUSIVE PACKAGE
Where is Sodi Shambo? by Sharmila Purkayastha
A garrison state? by Tisaranee Gunasekara
Lines of control by Gita Viswanath
States of denial by Seema Kazi
Thinking beyond Huntington by Ayesha Siddiqa