{"product_id":"the-rumour-of-calcutta-tourism-charity-and-the-poverty-of-representation-by-john-hutnyk-premium-books","title":"The Rumour of Calcutta: Tourism, Charity and the Poverty of Representation by John Hutnyk [Premium Books]","description":"\u003ch3 data-start=\"175\" data-end=\"215\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"182\" data-end=\"215\"\u003eBook Summary\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"217\" data-end=\"1380\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"217\" data-end=\"245\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"219\" data-end=\"243\"\u003eThe Rumour of Calcutta\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e is a cultural critique that examines how the Indian city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) has been \u003cem data-start=\"343\" data-end=\"369\"\u003erepresented and imagined\u003c\/em\u003e — particularly by Western travellers, tourism guides, volunteer charity workers, literature, cinema, photography, and maps. Rather than treating these portrayals as neutral observations, Hutnyk shows how such depictions often create an \u003cstrong data-start=\"606\" data-end=\"640\"\u003eimagined “city of intensities”\u003c\/strong\u003e that emphasises poverty, decay, exoticism, and suffering in ways that reinforce unequal global power relations and stereotypes. By analysing the \u003cem data-start=\"786\" data-end=\"797\"\u003e“rumours”\u003c\/em\u003e circulated through traveller-lore and media, the book argues that these narratives don’t simply describe the city but play an active role in shaping and maintaining perceptions that often obscure lived realities and \u003cem data-start=\"1014\" data-end=\"1055\"\u003ereproduce a “poverty of representation”\u003c\/em\u003e — limited, distorted views of a complex urban and cultural life. To support this argument, Hutnyk engages with critical theory, drawing on thinkers such as Heidegger, Marx, Spivak, Derrida, and others to unpack how representation itself influences our understanding of place and people. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-start=\"1387\" data-end=\"1431\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1394\" data-end=\"1431\"\u003eAbout the Author \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1433\" data-end=\"2336\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1433\" data-end=\"1448\"\u003eJohn Hutnyk\u003c\/strong\u003e is a British academic and cultural theorist whose work focuses on \u003cstrong data-start=\"1515\" data-end=\"1608\"\u003ethe politics of representation, cultural studies, tourism, media, and postcolonial theory\u003c\/strong\u003e. He has held academic positions around the world, including roles as Associate Professor in sociology and cultural studies, and visiting scholar appointments in universities across Europe and Asia. Hutnyk is known for his interdisciplinary approach, combining insights from anthropology, philosophy, cultural theory, and critical sociology to explore how cultural productions influence the way societies see and interact with one another. In addition to \u003cem data-start=\"2063\" data-end=\"2087\"\u003eThe Rumour of Calcutta\u003c\/em\u003e, he has written and edited other influential works such as \u003cem data-start=\"2147\" data-end=\"2168\"\u003eCritique of Exotica\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"2170\" data-end=\"2183\"\u003eBad Marxism\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem data-start=\"2189\" data-end=\"2218\"\u003eGlobal South Asia on Screen\u003c\/em\u003e, contributing to debates on culture, identity, and power in a globalised world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Clapping Pages","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":45566433231034,"sku":"374JW3SW1-New","price":59.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0713\/5576\/0826\/files\/rc_207e9590-3e6d-4020-b1df-7892c454bde5.jpg?v=1770362514","url":"https:\/\/clappingpages.com\/products\/the-rumour-of-calcutta-tourism-charity-and-the-poverty-of-representation-by-john-hutnyk-premium-books","provider":"Clapping Pages","version":"1.0","type":"link"}