Professor Curjambi and the Threat of Ethnocentrism

Tim Prasil

Aug 27

I came upon a 1903 short story titled "The Ameer's Revenge," written by Rose German-Reed. It features an occult detective character named Professor Curjambi, and it shares a premise with Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) and many folk horror films written much later. The perennial premise is this: antiquated beliefs or "superstitions" mustn't be snubbed because threats such as vampires, demons, changlings, and animal -- including human -- sacrifice rituals remain very real. The characters who suffer the consequences of failing to heed this often seem to be British, though I doubt they own the rights thereto. These stories, whether intentionally or not, teach a lesson in the danger of ethnocentrism. Cultural pridefulness. The hubris of assuming one is more civilized and sophisticated than others. Arrogant jerkism.

In German-Reed's tale, British characters suffer the consequences of not recognizing an Indian monster, even though the British had been a colonial presence in India for many years when the events of the story occur. In fact, one of the main characters, Agnes Rossiter, was born in India, where as a baby she was tattooed with symbols she doesn't understand as an adult. Imagine that. She's reminded of her connection to India every time she looks in the mirror, but she's never bothered to investigate its meaning.

And so, when the monster arrives as clearly signaled by the title, the man required to vanquish it is a professorial occult detective with a solid understanding of Indian realities. German-Reed gives him an Indian-sounding surname, Curjambi, and a face that's "unmistakably Oriental". A few years earlier, the British characters in Dracula relied on Professor Van Helsing, a Netherlander, to save them from the toothy Transylvanian. Stoker showed those Continental "hillbillies" know stuff that can save thoroughly modern Brits from being bitten on their, uhm, necks. "The Ameer's Revenge" feels a bit influenced by Dracula, even though its invading terror and its learned monster-hunter come from farther afield.

Now, while one might see a critique of British colonialism in "The Ameer's Revenge," it's very underdeveloped here. Curjambi's heroism -- in contrast to the Ameer's villainy -- is attributed to his being well assimilated to English life. Like Van Helsing, he straddles English culture and the demonized one. In both German-Reed's and Stoker's works, foreigners are branded as evil. The British are their snooty yet sympathetic victims, and it takes a sort of cultural intermediary to act as the Solver of Problems. (Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Brown Hand" is another occult detective story grappling with the aftermath of England's presence in India. It better blurs the line between good and bad than "The Ameer's Revenge," but its smart hero, Dr. Hardacre, is entirely British.)

All of this is my way of saying that "The Ameer's Revenge" is a pretty blunt story, a supernatural mystery that's predictable and forgettable. There is a bit of a surprise at the end -- maybe -- but it's still a goofy story (with some flagrant logistical flaws for added snickers). Nonetheless, Professor Curjambi meets my criteria of an occult detective, and he's now an ethnically unique member of the Early Occult Detectives on my Chronological Bibliography.

-- Tim