The Uses of Prose (ACLA 2025)

Organizer: Musab Abdul Salam

Co-Organizer: Feba Rasheed

During the colonial period, South Asia witnessed the rise of new literary forms, particularly in prose, that attempted to grapple with the complexities ushered in by colonial-modernity. Writers across languages began experimenting with prose genres such as novels, short stories, essays, biographies, and historical treatises, reflecting dynamic cultural negotiations between East and West, tradition and modernity, and local and global contexts. This seminar intends to explore the different labors undertaken by prose during an important moment in the history of the subcontinent.

We welcome abstracts that engage with a variety of prose forms—essays, journalistic writing, travel narratives, diaries, historical and biographical texts—while considering how these genres contributed to shaping the intellectual and cultural discourse of the time. We also welcome submissions that explore the diverse uses of prose, with a special emphasis on how these literary practices contribute to a renewed understanding of contemporary trends in comparative literature and world literature.

In particular, we encourage submissions that delve into writings by political figures, reformers, and other often-overlooked voices from the subcontinent. Comparative perspectives that explore the connections between South Asian prose and other global literary traditions are also welcome. The seminar aims to bring together scholars working in the fields of cultural studies, postcolonial studies, Global Anglophone, translation studies, world literature and comparative literature.