Abstract

BEYOND EUROCENTRISM: RECLAIMING INDIAN CRITICAL TRADITIONS

Anu Shukla

Volume: 4 Issue: 1 2014

Abstract:

Indian literary criticism has long been entangled in a paradoxical relationship with Western critical traditions. While Indian literature has achieved global recognition, its critical frameworks remain largely derivative of Western epistemologies. This paper explores the colonial underpinnings of Indian literary criticism, analyzing the impact of Western theoretical models on Indian critical discourse. Drawing upon the perspectives of K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar, C. D. Narasimhaiah, and G. N. Devy, this study critiques the pervasive Eurocentrism in Indian criticism and highlights the need for indigenous theoretical frameworks rooted in India’s rich literary traditions. The paper further discusses the intellectual legacy of ancient Indian poetics—from Bharata’s Natyashastra to Anandavardhana’s Dhvanyaloka—as a means to reclaim India’s critical consciousness. By juxtaposing Indian and Western critical traditions, the study advocates for a more self-reliant and culturally contextualized approach to Indian literary criticism. The paper ultimately argues that Indian criticism must shed its colonial anxieties and assert its own intellectual autonomy to foster a decolonized and independent literary discourse.

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