Call For Chapters : Hindu Heritage of Delhi: Exploring the Past and Present

 

About the Book

The capital of Bhārat, Delhi—officially the National Capital Territory of Delhi—is a mosaic of different historical and cultural landscapes. From its ancient antecedents to the colonial times, Delhi has been witness to tremendous historical upheavals, all of which shaped its culture and gave it a unique identity. However, much of Delhi’s heritage and culture is associated with the Sultanate or Mughal period, while the ancient and post-colonial history of the city is largely relegated to the margins. Since the Islamic history of the city has been the main theme of study among historians for many decades, the Hindu heritage of the city has not found a significant place in academic engagement or writing. Another aspect of the city that has found significant mention is the colonial period, particularly with regard to colonial architecture. Delhi, however, is not only the city of Sultans, colonial and post-colonial settlers. It is also the city of the Pandavas, the Tomars, and the Chauhans. It is a city of temples and popular street foods. Delhi is a thriving centre of Hindu religious heritage, be it the Shri Kilkari Baba Bhairavnath Ji Temple near present-day Purana Qila, the Kalka Mata Temple in present-day Kalkaji, and the Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place which trace their origins to the period of the Mahabharata or modern-day temples like the Birla Mandir and the Akshardham Temple. The city indeed boasts of some incredible Hindu places of worship. It also comprises some important historical structures of the period of the Mahabharata, including the Indraprastha region, as well as the areas ruled by the Tomars and Chauhans, who not only built forts and palaces, such as Lal Kot (later known as Qila Rai Pithora), but also added to the religious landscape of the city. King Anangpal I of the Tomar Dynasty constructed numerous temples in his capital city of Lal Kot, which were eventually destroyed during the Islamic invasions. The culture and heritage of the Pandavas, the Tomars, and the Chauhans warrants a more detailed analysis, and so does the contemporary cultural landscape of Bhārat’s capital city.

This book is an attempt to explore the Hindu heritage of the city of Delhi—its history, architecture, archaeology, handicrafts, museums, cuisines, traditions, and so on. The book proposes to look at the city’s history and culture from an alternative perspective and add value to the academic discourse on Delhi and its neighbourhood.

 

Themes

·       Hindu Histories of Delhi: The Mahabharat period, rule of the Tomar Dynasty, the period of the Chauhan Dynasty; Hindu Kings of Delhi and their contribution to city histories

·       Hindu Religious Structures: Temples, forts and palaces, public utility works, other structures of ancient or contemporary relevance

·       Inscriptions, Archaeology, Numismatics: Sanskrit inscriptions, Archaeological Sites in and around Delhi, coins and seals of Hindu dynasties of Delhi

·       Artifacts and Handicrafts: Traditional handicrafts, clothes, ornaments, and jewellery  

·       Cuisines of Delhi: Traditional Hindu cuisine, history of street food, impact of Hindu culture on the cuisines of Delhi

·       Museums of Delhi: Exhibits displaying Hindu heritage and culture

·       Arts and Performing Arts: Paintings, Music, and Dance

·       Languages and Literature: Linguistic and Literary traditions

·       Role of Institutions in Promoting the Hindu Heritage of Delhi: Heritage institutions and their impact, Heritage Walks at Hindu heritage sites

 

Chapter Submissions

Academics and research scholars from institutions of repute are invited to submit a proposal in 350-500 words along with key words, which will be peer-reviewed. Successful candidates will be invited to submit a full chapter. Scholars are advised to go through the themes and guidelines carefully before submitting the proposal. The proposal must be strictly academic in nature.

 

Submission Roadmap

30 December 2023: Submission of proposals

10 January 2024: End of the peer review process of proposals

15 March 2024: Full chapter submission

25 March 2023: Peer review and feedback on full chapter

20 April 2023: Final chapter submission

 

Submission Guidelines

·       Abstract: 350-500 words (with key words)

·       Chapter Length: 7000-8000 words (including key words, in-text citations, and references)

·       Font: Times New Roman, 12 point, 1.5 spacing

·       Citations: In-text in APA format (www.apastyle.org)

·       References: End of the Chapter in APA format

·       Images, Tables, and Graphs: Maximum 4 images, 3 tables or graphs per chapter

·       Deadlines: To be adhered to as per the Submission Roadmap

 

(The contributor shall be solely responsible for their research findings published in the book. Neither the editor nor the publisher will take responsibility for any unverified research.)

 

Chapter Format

Main Sections

1.      Title

2.      Name/s with Complete Affiliation and Contact Details

3.      Abstract with Key Words

4.      Introduction: The Introduction should clearly justify the rationale of the study with appropriate theoretical background.

5.      Literature Review: This section should include the explanation and analysis of existing literature.  

6.      Methodology: This section should explain the methodology used for research.

7.      Key Findings: This section must include the key findings of the research.

8.      Discussion: This should include the overall discussion and analysis of the key findings.

9.      Conclusion: The conclusion should clearly state the major findings of the paper and its overall outcome.

Other Sections

References: In APA format only.

Appendices: If there is more than one appendix, they should be identified as A, B, etc.

 

Submission Preparation Checklist

All submissions must meet the following requirements:

·       The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration.

·       The submission file is in Microsoft Word document format.

·       Where available, provide URLs for the references.

·       The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Submission Guidelines and Chapter Format.

 

Contact Details

Email your proposals to sengupta.chandni@gmail.com

Contact Information

Dr Chandni Sengupta

Historian and Author; Guest Faculty, Southern New Hampshire University, USA

Contact Email

sengupta.chandni@gmail.com

ICSSR NRC sponsored International seminar: Policing in South Asia: Dilemmas of Governance and the Making of Participatory Communities 6th January 2018 Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, India

Concept Note

The police play a key role as an interface between the people and the state. Yet despite this, studies of the institution from a sociologically- and historically-informed perspective, especially in the context of South Asia, are relatively scarce. The state has been studied as embodied in everyday practices and the interactions of various institutions, and thus as actively shaped by experiences and practices of those who perform it (Gupta 1995; Fuller & Benei 2010), as well as of the role it plays in shaping, and of the ways it is shaped by, society (Skocpol 1979, Mann 1993, Migdal 2001).The role of the police in such processes is, however, unclear, since the linkages between police institutions and structures and the socio-historical context of their operation have received little scholarly attention. This is particularly the case in post-colonial contexts in which the police first emerged as a colonial institution. The aim of this seminar is to begin to address such a scholarly lacuna by bring together an international and interdisciplinary group of scholars to consider the role of the police in shaping both state sovereignty and social order in South Asia. It will do so through considering the following key questions: How has the state historically been embodied in everyday practices of policing in South Asia, and what are the legacies of such practices; what role has the police played in shaping both the state and society; and in what way has society in South Asia shaped the institutions and practices of policing?

The seminar will explore such questions through considering four key issues. The first is the relationship between crime, punishment and state formation. Crime and social control have been concerns of human history prior to the modern era, and the South Asian sub-continent has a long history of disciplining techniques rooted in indigenous texts and traditions that pre-date the formation of modern nation-states – colonial and post-colonial – in the region. The principle of Danda in the Arthashastra tradition, for example, focused on the crucial role of punishment in statecraft (Troutman 1979). However, the colonial institution of the police as it emerged by the mid-nineteenth century discarded such traditions and introduced a model of policing based on the principle of ‘colonial difference’ (Chatterjee 1993) that prioritised the maintenance of the security and sovereignty of the colonial state rather than serving the interests of South Asian subjects. This seminar aims to shed new light on the nature of both pre-colonial and colonial policing by examining how concerns with crime control and security have historically worked out in practices of policing, and how they have been influenced by local texts and traditions, colonial rule, national-state formation and the emergence of constitutional democracy.

The second issue that the seminar aims to explore is the role of policing as a mechanism of social control and an institution of coercive power, in particular its relationship to, and role in shaping, marginal groups, including women. Marginalization is a process of exclusion resulting from material, social or gendered resourcelessness on both sides of the divide between state and society. In considering how marginalization is produced through practices of governing, the seminar aims to consider how to move towards a democratization of the means of making societies more secure, and how to ensure participation of all sections of society in the development of a cooperative social fabric. 

The third issue that the seminar will interrogate is that of the ‘margin’ as a locale. In a deliberation on policing with an awareness of the marginality that exists on both the side of the police and the policed, the seminar also hopes to throw light on the concerns of the geographical margins, such as slums, that are sought to be rationally classified and organized (Das & Poole 2004) by police work.

Such an engagement with the historical, sociological, geographical, political and administrative aspects of policing as an institution and policing as a practice in South Asia would not only address a gap in the presently available literature on policing, the state and society, but would also offer valuable policy insights into how to effectively police societies in the postcolonial world. The seminar therefore aims, lastly, to offer policy perspectives on democratic policing in South Asia. Bringing together scholars and practitioners to develop comparative understandings and to propose long-term sociological and systemic changes, this seminar would be an important contribution to the study of the police in South Asia.

Tentative themes of the seminar include but are not limited to the following:

• Indigenous traditions and colonial impact on policing in South Asia
• Policing and marginality
• Gender and policing
• Justice, Law and police work
• Policy framework for effective policing and for generating trust

Please email 250-300 words abstracts to khanikarsantana@gmail.com

Last date for receiving abstracts: 30th November 2017

AC 3tier train fares would be reimbursed to selected participants travelling to Delhi from other parts of India. International travel funding is not available. Food and lodging will be arranged by the organizers. 
If selected, full papers will be due by 20th of December 2017. 

For any queries feel free to send an email at khanikarsantana@gmail.com