Governmentality, Democracy, and Liberalism: Desire in Samrat Upadhyay’s ‘The Guru of Love’
In Samrat Upadhyay’s The Guru of Love (2003), the political and the personal intersect, with the novel as a genre exposing how they are interwoven. In the Nepali-American novelist Upadhyay’s novel, democracy and liberalism operate through the management and redirection of desires, instead of constr...
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University of Tartu Press
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Interlitteraria |
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| Online Access: | https://ojs.utlib.ee/index.php/IL/article/view/24534 |
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| author | Pushpa Acharya |
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In Samrat Upadhyay’s The Guru of Love (2003), the political and the personal intersect, with the novel as a genre exposing how they are interwoven. In the Nepali-American novelist Upadhyay’s novel, democracy and liberalism operate through the management and redirection of desires, instead of constraining them. The novel itself, as a genre, becomes the canvas for orchestrating this transformative process, engaging both characters and readers. Set against the backdrop of Nepal in the global south, The Guru of Love challenges conventional notions, suggesting that democracy’s efficacy does not hinge on industrialisation and education alone. Instead, democracy itself can serve as a potent political tool for nurturing a citizenry that favours such politics. As this novel shows, the key tenet of liberal and capitalist governance lies in the augmentation and regulation of the individual’s desires. Upadhyay’s novel is a testament to the celebration of individualism and shows the workings of capitalist and liberal deregulation as a mechanism for managing and channelling desires. It portrays how these political ideologies shape and mould the individual’s personal aspirations and society’s political paradigms.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-33afd870aa254edda4de2097ec62c777 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1406-0701 2228-4729 |
| language | deu |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | University of Tartu Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Interlitteraria |
| spelling | doaj-art-33afd870aa254edda4de2097ec62c7772025-01-28T09:19:51ZdeuUniversity of Tartu PressInterlitteraria1406-07012228-47292024-10-0129110.12697/IL.2024.29.1.4Governmentality, Democracy, and Liberalism: Desire in Samrat Upadhyay’s ‘The Guru of Love’Pushpa Acharya0University of Toronto, Canada In Samrat Upadhyay’s The Guru of Love (2003), the political and the personal intersect, with the novel as a genre exposing how they are interwoven. In the Nepali-American novelist Upadhyay’s novel, democracy and liberalism operate through the management and redirection of desires, instead of constraining them. The novel itself, as a genre, becomes the canvas for orchestrating this transformative process, engaging both characters and readers. Set against the backdrop of Nepal in the global south, The Guru of Love challenges conventional notions, suggesting that democracy’s efficacy does not hinge on industrialisation and education alone. Instead, democracy itself can serve as a potent political tool for nurturing a citizenry that favours such politics. As this novel shows, the key tenet of liberal and capitalist governance lies in the augmentation and regulation of the individual’s desires. Upadhyay’s novel is a testament to the celebration of individualism and shows the workings of capitalist and liberal deregulation as a mechanism for managing and channelling desires. It portrays how these political ideologies shape and mould the individual’s personal aspirations and society’s political paradigms. https://ojs.utlib.ee/index.php/IL/article/view/24534AnglophonedesiredemocracygovernmentalityliberalismNepali American novel |
| spellingShingle | Pushpa Acharya Governmentality, Democracy, and Liberalism: Desire in Samrat Upadhyay’s ‘The Guru of Love’ Interlitteraria Anglophone desire democracy governmentality liberalism Nepali American novel |
| title | Governmentality, Democracy, and Liberalism: Desire in Samrat Upadhyay’s ‘The Guru of Love’ |
| title_full | Governmentality, Democracy, and Liberalism: Desire in Samrat Upadhyay’s ‘The Guru of Love’ |
| title_fullStr | Governmentality, Democracy, and Liberalism: Desire in Samrat Upadhyay’s ‘The Guru of Love’ |
| title_full_unstemmed | Governmentality, Democracy, and Liberalism: Desire in Samrat Upadhyay’s ‘The Guru of Love’ |
| title_short | Governmentality, Democracy, and Liberalism: Desire in Samrat Upadhyay’s ‘The Guru of Love’ |
| title_sort | governmentality democracy and liberalism desire in samrat upadhyay s the guru of love |
| topic | Anglophone desire democracy governmentality liberalism Nepali American novel |
| url | https://ojs.utlib.ee/index.php/IL/article/view/24534 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pushpaacharya governmentalitydemocracyandliberalismdesireinsamratupadhyaystheguruoflove |