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Call For Papers | All India History Summit, 29th & 30th September 2018

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History, as popularly conceived, is a recorded array of knowledge about the past. The past is obviously historic in the sense that, the present looks into it with an eye of peculiarity and legitimacy. Thus the writing of history or historiography has an implication of present to narrate the events of the past with its all subjectivities and current relevance. The discourse of modernity largely impacted on historiography through its objectivity and positivism, while subsidizing it with a homogeneous hegemony of past events under the realms of power. The intrinsic relations of power and knowledge led to an abundance of knowledge pursued to be beneficial for the colonial powers and imperial elites. Hence, the production of knowledge became an entrepreneurship of power elites at the expense of diverse lived histories of the colonized. The colonial power structure made much endeavors to formulate a history of their subjects under the spectacle of Euro-centric epistemology with obvious objectives of Orientalism and an understanding ‘the Other’. As Edward Said rightly points out: “Every knowledge is an interpretation’, the scholars of late twentieth century well-tried to unfold the patterns of hegemony and power in the domain of knowledge.

While analyzing the historiography of Indian subcontinent, the colonial approaches have a large impact on the various streams of Indian historians. It has a long history since the struggles of dominance between the colonial powers and then ruling regimes till today. The fundamental question emerges at this juncture is: “How the history of India has been perceived by various actors of dominance and hegemony at both political and social scenarios?”. At a broader level, we can trace these perspectives into three larger aspects of Indian history: (1) political dominance of power elites since colonial hegemony, (2) negligence of diverse histories of the marginalized communities and (3) marginalization of lived syncretic/pluralist histories of people. Through these three aspects, a large portion of historical events with complex and multiple stature has been sidelined from the mainstream history writing, whereas the historiography became a propaganda machinery for the sustenance of power. These approaches have contributed to raise much controversial readings of Indian history throughout the period of anti-colonial struggle and these are still in prominence in the writings of various historians from various ideological prospects.

At this juncture of Post-independent India, we are witnessing various discourses emerging around the historiography of the Indian past, especially from the quarters of Hindutwa political spectrum. The existing scenario compels to stand against the grains of Indian history with a clear perspective of historiography and undercurrents in the realm of history writing. Some of the long existing historic narratives are challenged and others are go through paradigmatic changes in the hands of ruling regimes. Attempts are made to reorient historical facts with mythological stories and fictional narrations. In curriculum of history and its textbooks, huge misinformations and misconceptions about Medieval Indian history are spread, while eulogy of a mythical ‘Golden Age’ of Ancient India becomes excessively incorporated. It can be reinvigorated only by serious academic endeavors as well as by developing alternative approaches of counter-narratives. Those endeavors must approach the history through a politically-conscious academic perspective of Hindutwa agendas, advancing diverse histories of marginalized communities and acknowledging syncretic/pluralist histories of people.

The realization of incoherence in various streams of Indian historiography in dealing with the advancing propagandas of Hindutwa must stimulate us to approach the historical struggles of marginalized communities such as Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis, Christians and other minority sections in India. The diversified lived histories of local people and their collectives can be brought-forth by keeping the macro-analyses in the realm of history at bay. Such people’s histories must thrive with their socio-economic-educational models of existence and survival. Their contributions to the arts, architecture, literature and other cultural manifestations are asserting with their day-to-day struggles to live a better living. The political assertions around marginalized identities are detested in the arena of mainstream historiography by identifying it as identity/communal politics, while using the existing binaries of Secular/ Communal, Liberal/ Conservative, Humanist/ Casteist. Hence, searching for an alternative methodology of historiography beyond these binaries is a challenging endeavor for academia in order to resist Hindutwa’s rewriting of history. Such an assertive historiography can make ruptures on the grand narratives of power elites, while expanding the scope of Indian history into diverse horizons.

CERT invites academicians and research scholars (M.Phil/Ph.D), who are capable of contributing their part in the realms of academic discourses with great enthusiasm and critical engagements. CERT hopes a vast array of discussions on the prescribed themes would be held and it can be a valuable achievement in the academic sphere. Papers based on the following themes are welcomed:

History of India: Theoretical Approaches

  1. A Critical analysis of Indian History: In search of an alternative research methodology
  2. Can subaltern speak: Approaching Indian History from praxis
  3. Against the Grain: Revisiting Ancient Indian History
  4. Revisiting the Classification: Ancient, Medieval and Modern History of India
  5. De-constructing the Division: ‘Indic Versus Non-Indic’ in Indian History

Caste in Indian History

  1. Annihilation of Caste: Trajectories of Anti-Caste Movements
  2. Casting out Caste: Dalit Engagements with Power Politics
  3. Caste and Religious Conversion: Critical Survey of Liberation Theologies

Histories of Adivasis

  1. Adivasi Struggles of Survival: Histories of Dissent
  2. State and Adivasi Assertions: Surveying subjugation and marginalization

Minorities in India

  1. Minorities in India: Asserting Identities of Religion, Nationality, Gender and Language

Islam and Muslims in Indian History

  1. Locating Islam in Indian History: Propagation and Proliferation
  2. Tracing trajectories of Muslims in Indian History: Rulers, Ruled and Co-Rulers
  3. Communal Demands of Muslims in Colonial India: Debates in Constitutional Assembly and Common place
  4. Locating Muslims in Nationalist debates: Multiple Narrations during Partition and beyond
  5. Remnants of Partition and Pakistan: Trajectories of Muslims in India
  6. Muslim Political Assertions: Thinking Beyond Secular Anxieties and Binaries
  7. Discourse of Terrorism in India: Reading beyond Mainstream Narratives

Community Histories

  1. Narrating the Local: Histories of people and lands
  2. Countering the National: Dilemma of Nation State in India
  3. Debating ‘Community Versus Nation State’ in India: Community Empowerment and Power Politics
  4. Searching for Socio-Economic-Educational Models of Communities in India
  5. Re-reading Community Reforms in India: Debating Narratives in History
  6. Re-asserting Community Histories:
  7. Gujjar – Bakarwal Community, Jammu and Kashmir
  8. Meos of Mewat, Haryana
  9. Byari Community, Karnataka
  10. Mappilas of Malabar, Kerala
  11. Yadavs, Uttar Pradesh
  12. More Communities……

Hindutwa Attempts in Indian History

  1. Re-writing History in Text Books: Interrogating Hindutwa Attempts
  2. Debating Hindu and Hindutwa: convergence and divergence
  3. Controversies around Personalities in History: Exploring Myth and Reality
  4. Narrations of Pluralist Culture in India: Asserting Lessons of Co-existence

Guidelines for Paper Submission

  • Author’s Title & Name, University/Organization, Paper Title and Email & mobile number to be stated clearly on the cover page of the paper.
  • The paper should not exceed 5,000 words including abstract &references.
  • Font – Times New Roman
  • Microsoft Word Document Format
  • Papers to be sent to [email protected]

SELECTED PAPERS WILL BE PUBLISHED WITH ISBN

Important Dates

Deadline for submission of Abstracts – 20/08/2018

Deadline for submission of Full papers – 02/09/2018

For More Info: Visit http://certindia.in/all-india-history-summit/

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