The recent online hate campaign against a Dalit woman writer has raised urgent concerns with far reaching consequences for the wider fields of literary criticism and cultural studies. The nascent and emergent Dalit Letters in English has exploded into view some hitherto unsettled questions around ownership, inspiration, plagiarism, female creativity, and artistic ethicality with respect to Dalit art. If Dalit art has to survive the phenomenon of what William Deresiewicz has termed in a different context as, ‘The Death of the Artist’, it is imperative to discuss the internal, national and global pressures it faces today.

Panelists: Yashica Dutt, Author; Shalini Randeria, Central European University; William Deresiewicz, Author;
Arjun Appadurai, New York University; Martin Puchner, Harvard University; Francesca Mezzenzana, Ludwig Maximilian University; Merve Emre, Wesleyan University