Humour and Cross-Cultural Understanding in the Travelogues of Syed Mujtaba Ali and Eric Newby
Abstract
This study considers local depictions in Syed Mujtaba Ali’s (1904-1974) Deshe Bideshe (In a Land Far from Home) (1948) and Eric Newby’s (1919-2006) A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush (1958) employing an analysis that focuses on humour and the process of othering. This study primarily focuses on the humour styles of the Bengali witticism of Ali and the British sarcasm of Newby (1958), analysing the cultural differences and similarities between the two writers in their depiction of their stories. Ali’s affectionate humour highlights the warmth and quirks of the Afghan people, while Newby’s (1958) dry wit and self-deprecating humour expose cultural misunderstandings and the challenges of cross-cultural contact. The primary technique employed for data collection in this study's qualitative research strategy was thematic analysis. Both authors examine universal facets of the human condition that transcended cultural differences in these lighthearted exchanges, providing insightful commentary on travel, exploration, and cross-cultural contact.
Downloads
References
Ali, H. M. (2016). British colonialism, colonial thought, and the 19th and 20th century colonized Malay states: A reassessment. International Journal of Applied Business and Economic Research, 14(5), 3265–3277.
Ali, S. M. (1948). Deshe Bideshe. Mitra & Ghosh Publishers.
Banerjee, M. (2023, September 11). Syed Mujtaba Ali between Bengal and Afghanistan. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/focus/news/syed-mujtaba-ali-between-bengal-and-afghanistan-3415916
Barr, S. (2018, February 13). Self-deprecating humour linked to greater psychological wellbeing, study finds. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/self-deprecating-humour-greater-psychological-wellbeing-link-study-university-of-granada-spain-a8207976.html
Bassetti, J. (2021, March 30). Review of Newby’s A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush. Travel Writing World. https://www.travelwritingworld.com/a-short-walk-in-the-hindu-kush-review/
Bergson, H. (1911). Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic. Macmillan.
Chaudhuri, S. (2022). The Traveller as Internationalist. Open Book Publishers (pp. 31–66). https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0254.01
Cocking, B. (2011). Newby and Thesiger: Humour and lament in the Hindu Kush. Studies in Travel Writing, 15(1), 93–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645145.2011.537506
Dey, S. (2021, September 2). Mujtaba Ali’s Deshe Bideshe describes life in Kabul as never seen before. Get Bengal. https://www.getbengal.com/details/mujtaba-alis-deshe-bideshe-describes-life-in-kabul-as-never-seen-before
Elaref, I. A. (2023). Colonial discourse studies: Uncovering the unfair otherness. Arab World English Journal for Translation and Literary Studies, 7(2), 83–92. https://doi.org/10.24093/awejtls/vol7no2.6
Fowler, C. (2007). Chasing Tales: Travel Writing, Journalism, and the History of British Ideas about Afghanistan. Rodopi.
Ghosh, A. (2020). Syed Mujtaba Ali’s Deshe Bideshe: An Indian’s perspective on Afghanistan. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v12n3.23
Hill, L. (2012, January 14). A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush (1958), by Eric Newby. ANZ LitLovers LitBlog. https://anzlitlovers.com/2012/01/14/a-short-walk-in-the-hindu-kush-1958-by-eric-newby/
Holland, P., & Huggan, G. (2000). Tourists with Typewriters: Critical Reflections on Contemporary Travel Writing. University of Michigan Press.
Horrell, M. (2016, December 7). Book review: A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby. Mark Horrell. https://www.markhorrell.com/blog/2016/book-review-a-short-walk-in-the-hindu-kush-by-eric-newby/
Hossain, M. S. (2023). A glimpse into Afghanistan through Syed Mujtaba Ali’s Deshe Bideshe: An Indian voyager's insightful lens (Version 1) [Data set]. Mendeley Data. https://doi.org/10.17632/34bhbrt887.1
Hutcheon, L. (1994). Irony’s edge: The Theory and Politics of Irony. Routledge.
Jarvis, R. (2023). A short history of humour in travel writing. Studies in Travel Writing, 26(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645145.2023.2218048
Lisle, D. (2006). The Global Politics of Contemporary Travel Writing. Cambridge University Press.
Manjapra, K. (2020). Queer diasporic practice of a Muslim traveler: Syed Mujtaba Ali’s Chacha Kahini. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 53, 151–166. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37922-3_8
Martin, R. A. (2007). The Psychology of Humour: An Integrative Approach. Elsevier Academic Press.
Newby, E. (1958). A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush. Penguin.
Pratt, M. L. (1992). Imperial eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation. Routledge.
Rocke, C. (2015). The Use of Humor to Help Bridge Cultural Divides: An Exploration of a Workplace Cultural Awareness Workshop. Social Work with Groups, 38(2), 152–169. https://doi.org/10.1080/01609513.2014.968944
Shibli, A. (2017, April 26). Syed Mujtaba Ali as a rebel. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/literature/news/syed-mujtaba-ali-rebel-5464
Thompson, C. (2011). Travel Writing. Routledge.
