Being a Devotee: Image to Decolonial Decentralization

Abstract: What is the role of devotion beyond faith? - centred around this question, this paper intends to explore in depth how the idea of devotion and the position of devotee may become an important tool of resistance within the South Asian, especially Indian Bengali context. Taking a deep dive into Kamalkumar Majumdar’s reconstruction of Bengali aesthesis, the paper will study the power of deception in terms of subverting the colonial hierarchy. In this subversion, I propose, a dismissal of the colonial rationality narrative may become possible.

Present bio: Currently a doctoral candidate, Sanskriti Chattopadhyay has two Masters' degrees in Cultural Studies and film direction. She has been academically presenting at various Universities, like - the Lifetime Conference (Norway), Uncanny Intermediality Conference (Romania), the 17th International conference on Arts (Spain), 5th and 6th Congress of Bengal Studies (Bangladesh). Her publications include -Acta Sapientia University journal, Anales de history del arte, and Swaraantar. She has also been a part of several artistic research projects – at the Hungarian School of Fine arts (Budapest), SAAR Gothenburg, Lucerne School of Art and Design, Switzerland (2021) etc.

Affiliation: HDK-Valand Högskolan för konst och design, University of Gothenburg