14
UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 3rd may, 2015
Countless studies
have
been done on the work
of the Naipaul family,
especially on that of the
oldest son V. S. Naipaul,
and many of these have
been shared via the forumof
academic conferences. The
studies and the conferences
at which they are presented
are by no means limited
to literary ones or those
focussed on particular geographic areas and one may well
find a paper on the Naipaulian oeuvre being delivered across
a broad range of areas including politics, economics, critical
race theory, liberty, civilization, religion, development
studies and many, many others.
This should suggest the breadth and the depth of the
work done by the Naipauls. It would probably also indicate
that this wealth of intellectual production has never been
concentrated in any one place. A conference has therefore
been organised to channel it home.
The Friends of Mr Biswas in conjunction with the
Department of Literary, Cultural and Communication
Studies will be hosting “Seepersad & Sons: Naipaulian
Creative Synergies,” from September 6-8, 2015. As the title
implies, this conference seeks to uncover the layers of ideas
across the works of Seepersad Naipaul, Shiva Naipaul and
V.S. Naipaul, which in effect will produce a vivid moving
documentary of critical issues in Caribbean life.
Seepersad was born in 1906 and his writing both as a
journalist and short story writer engages with the settlement
in the Caribbean of indentured labourers from the Indian
sub-continent and with the political, religious, sociocultural
and consequent psychological issues in which the process
occurred. His sons’ work on the other hand continued to
track developments in these areas as they apply to all the
people of the Caribbean. As the call for papers states, the
conference hopes to gather these ideas as well as ideas on
a variety of topics including the Naipaulian contribution
to the genres of journalism and travel writing as well as
to innovations in other genres. It also hopes to elicit the
Naipauls’ perspectives on India and things Indian as well as
the Indian responses to these perspectives. The conference
anticipates that participants will deliberate on the Naipauls’
views of democracy and freedom and of the limitations
and constraints they have articulated in the achievement of
these ideals as a result of the social contexts in which their
realisation is envisioned. Importantly as well, the conference
looks forward to reflections of the Naipauls’ representation
of gender and ethnic relations, particularly as they pertain
to the Caribbean but also in relation to Africa, India and
the Islamic world. The Naipauls have also contributed
immensely to our understanding of childhood and its
legacies in the adult’s ability to take responsibility for his/
her life, especially as this relates to the creation of the artist.
The Naipauls’ work also provides readers with a unique
glimpse into the religious self, most significantly into the
religious subjectivity of the Indian – Hindus and Muslims,
but also converts toChristianity –who can forget for example
Mrs Bholai and her children in The Chip Chip Gatherers.
In addition, however, the Naipauls’ experiences, which they
have all shared in their writing, provide invaluable insight
into the reconfiguration of Hindu caste in the Caribbean by
CULTURE
the powers of class and status. In fact, the family’s location
in relation to one of the most important Brahmin families
in Trinidad and Tobago, the Capildeos, provided themwith
an angle on Hindu religious development in the Caribbean,
which it is practically impossible to reproduce. Furthermore
these are facets of the Indian diaspora that have scarcely
been scratched in academia. Moreover, the Naipauls have
also had an immense impact on the debates on hybridity
and creolization in the Caribbean. To date there has been
reaction to their thoughts but less consideration of the issues
they have raised.
The conference is the current outcome of the tireless
efforts of a group of persons who have come to be known
as the Friends of Mr Biswas. Their projects, chaired by
Professor Kenneth Ramchand, can be liked and followed
at:
and
at
house
. The conference will also be highlighted at these sites.
Their work can be seen as beginning with the purchase of
the family home of Seepersad and Droapatie Naipaul at
26 Nepaul Street, St James, as a heritage building by the
Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in
1996. Almost twenty years later, the work continues in this
conference. In the coming months, in these pages, we will
keep you abreast of conference developments and remind
you of some of the treasured heritage we have received via
the work of the Naipauls.
B y V I J A Y M A H A R A J
V. S. Naipaul
Seepersad
&Sons
Conference to explore the role of the Naipaul family
Seepersad Naipaul and Rudranath Capildeo
Photo courtesy Professor Kenneth Ramchand
