On October 2, 2025, The India Center and UCF’s Department of English partnered with the Center for Humanities and Digital Research (CHDR) to host a thought-provoking installment of the CHDR Presents series. The featured speaker was Arnab Dutta Roy, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English at Florida Gulf Coast University, who was invited to discuss his co-edited book The Postcolonial Bildungsroman: Youthful (Re)Formations and Narratives of Development from the Global South.
During Roy’s presentation, he established the idea of the bildungsroman, a story that focuses on the moral or psychological growth of its protagonist from childhood to adulthood. “The Postcolonial Bildungsroman highlights how an eighteenth-century European literary genre has been reimagined by Global South writers as one of the most cosmopolitan forms for engaging contemporary ideas surrounding identity, culture, and history,” explained Roy. As he presented, he discussed how the postcolonial bildungsroman breaks free from the shackles of the colonial past. As Roy describes, “While showcasing how difficult it is for youth to ‘come of age’ today in a world marked by extreme suffering and global instability, The Postcolonial Bildungsroman offers a powerful literary space where the disenfranchised can still reclaim some agency in confronting forces of unchecked power.”
The audience appeared engaged with Roy’s presentation, after which many asked questions and connected stories from around the globe to the bildungsroman genre. “I had such engaging and intellectually generative conversations with UCF students and faculty during the Q&A, where they raised thoughtful questions and pointed me toward examples ranging from Caribbean novels to Persian graphic narratives that could also be read as Bildungsroman,” shared Roy.
The India Center seeks to incubate ideas, research, and education on contemporary India. Roy’s work and insights offered a valuable opportunity for students, faculty, and community members to engage with current issues shaping India and its global relationships. “Supporting events like this advances the mission of The India Center,” shared Leila Chacko, assistant director of The India Center. “It allows us to engage with the community, promote thoughtful dialogue, and highlight the relevance of India-related scholarship and initiatives in today’s world.”