Representation

This volume discusses and theorizes cultures of narratives and knowledge production that shape the system of ‘Culture’, which has arguably been the greatest epoch of our civilization. The discernible and increasing importance of nativity and indigeneity in India and elsewhere has underscored the urgency of framing the major contemporary issues and debates that constitute this field. This book locates the marginalized/alternative narratives in society against the backdrop of social oppression and exclusion. Subjects include but are not limited to oral and written texts, narratives in images, threedimensional art, customs, rituals, and the arts. In doing so, it will take into account the ‘representative’ aspect of literature as it is by ‘representation’ in a text or talk that we assign meaning to diverse groups, social practices, events, etc. This book brings to the fore the voices of the marginalised and the oppressed, whereby the reader will be able to recognize the conditions behind the individual voices and thus, with empathy as well as knowledge of the true self, will be able to fight the ignorance and prejudice surrounding the lives of the marginalized people. Since discourses surrounding marginality, especially in the Indian context, are few, this book adds to the critical scholarship on marginality studies and thus tries to project the issues to a global audience. The volume will be of great interest to students, researchers, and educators in the fields of literary studies, cultural studies, linguistics, digital humanities, medical humanities, pedagogy, social sciences, cultural anthropology, literature, and South Asian studies. It will also serve as a valuable resource for cultural preservationists and general readers.