In India, a Clash of Globalizations Sinks a Litfest

Feb. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Every January these past few years,some of the world’s leading novelists, historians, philosophers,and sociologists have been drawn to the DSC Jaipur LiteratureFestival. Quickly outgrowing its modest beginnings in 2006, theevent now sets the standard for the many new literary festivalsfrom Brazil to Bali that illustrate what David S. Grewal calls“network power” -- the basic means of emulation and convergencethrough which cultural and economic globalization proceeds.

Like the annual congregations of political and financialelites at Davos, Switzerland, and Aspen, Colorado, gatherings ofauthors, publishers and journalists now manifest a “desire toconform to a common pattern and be recognized by others,” asGrewal puts it. The rapid rise of the Jaipur LiteratureFestival, assisted by some generous corporate sponsorship,confirms that such growing “global networks of sociability” areirresistible -- initially, at least.