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THRIVING ON THE MARGINS OF HISTORY: ENGAGING WITH THE PAST IN THE VERNACULAR.
- Source :
- History & Theory; Dec2021, Vol. 60 Issue 4, p59-73, 15p
- Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- A diversity of discursive formations in the vernacular flourish on the margins of history, and even outside it. To better understand these formations, particularly in postcolonial societies such as India, I argue that it is important to eschew the sole use of the lens of veracity. I explore alternative lenses through which to more fruitfully examine historical narratives in the vernacular: the contrast between the "historical past" and the "practical past," the complexities involved in cultural translation, and the lyrical and fictionalized nature of prior accounts of the past. I employ these alternative lenses to make sense of Gujarati author Nandśaṅkar Tuḷjāśaṅkar Mehtā's use of the historical novel form in his pioneering historical work, Karaṇ Ghelo, Gujarātno chello Rajpūt rājā: ek vārtā (Karaṇ the Crazy, Gujarat's Last Rajput King: A Story), the first novel written in Gujarati. Writing at a time when the demand for histories and history textbooks was burgeoning, Mehtā made the curious choice to write a vārtā, or "story"—a choice that becomes more comprehensible when seen from the alternative perspectives I propose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- THEORY of knowledge
NATIVE language
IMPERIALISM
HISTORICAL fiction
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00182656
- Volume :
- 60
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- History & Theory
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 154144218
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/hith.12236