Vicissitudes of Reading the Mahabharata as History: Problems Concerning Historicism and Textualism

Abstract

One of the significant developments in contemporary Cultural Studies is the emer­gence of the concept of “modernities” in its multiple and vernacular iterations as opposed to “Modernity”, purportedly understood with reference to the epistemic legacies set forth by the Western frameworks. This article takes on Simonti Sen (2005) – who assumes colonialism to be a watershed that renders rupture between the “traditional” and the “modern” – and demonstrates why the tradition/modernity dicho­tomy is a “false paradox” when it comes to discussing travel(ling) in the Indian context. Working on the interface of literature, translation and historiography, this article unpacks Working on the interface of literature, translation and historiography, this article unpacks Sen’s historicist and textualist reading of the Mahabharata and examines how it forecloses the multifarious hermeneutic possibilities of the text, while problem­atising a certain reductive translation upon which her reading is apparently premised.

Opsomming

Een van die deurslaggewende ontwikkelings in hedendaagse kulturele studies is die sigbaarwording van die konsep van “moderniteite” in sy veelvuldige en inheemse iterasies, teenoor “Moderniteit”, wat na bewering verstaan word met verwysing na die epistemiese nalatenskappe wat deur die Westerse raamwerke verklaar word. Hierdie artikel betwis Simonti Sen (2005) se aanname dat kolonialisme 'n waterskeiding is wat skeuring tussen die  “tradisionele” en die “moderne” bring – en demonstreer waarom die tradisie-/moderniteit-digotomie 'n “valse paradoks” is wanneer reis in die Indiese konteks bespreek word. Hierdie artikel werk op die koppelvlak van literatuur, vertaling en historiografie, om Sen se historistiese en tekstualistiese lees van die Mahabharata te ontleed, en bestudeer hoe dit die uiteenlopende hermeneutiese moontlikhede van die teks oproep, terwyl 'n bepaalde reduktiewe vertaling waarop haar interpretasie blykbaar berus, opgeroep word.