Spaces and Places in Western India

This book studies places and spaces in Western India both as geographical locations and as imagined constructs. It uncovers the rich history of the region from the perspective of places of pilgrimage, commerce, community, expression and indigeneity.

The volume examines how spaces are intrinsically connected to the lived experiences of people. It explores how spaces in Western India have been constructed over time and how these are reflected in both historical and contemporary settings - in the art, architecture, political movements and in identity formation. The rich examples explored in this volume include sites of Bhakti and Sufi literature, Maharashtrian-Sikh identity, Mahanubhav pilgrimage, monetary practices of the Peshwas and the internet as an emancipatory space for the Dalit youth in Maharashtra. The chapters in this book establish and affirm the forever evolving cultural topography of Western India.

Taking a multidimensional approach, this book widens the scope of academic discussions on the theme of space and place. It will be useful for scholars and researchers of history, cultural studies, geography, the humanities, city studies and sociology.

Autorentext

Bina Sengar is an Assistant Professor in Department of History and Ancient Indian Culture, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad and presently Fulbright Fellow for year 2018-2019 at Florida International University-Miami. She has published on various themes related to State policy and tribal studies in India. Her recent articles on tribal communities in Western India are; 'Policies for Ethnic Communities Assimilation In India: A Gandhian Perspective' Lexington Books, 2018; 'Trade Routes and Commercial Networks In Deccan-Marathwada During Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century' Delhi, Primus, 2017, 'Prospects for Sustainability in Human-Environment Patterns-dynamic management of common resources' Springer, 2017. Laurie Hovell McMillin is Professor of Rhetoric and Composition at Oberlin College (USA). An interest in the construction of place animates her works, English in Tibet, Tibet in English: Self-Presentation in Tibet and the Diaspora (2001) and Buried Indians: Digging up the Past in a Midwestern Town (2006). More recently, her travel writing has appeared on The Lonely Planet Literary Anthology (2016), Travel Writing: Theory and Practice, and other venues. She has researched and traveled in Maharashtra for over 35 years.

Klappentext

This book studies places and spaces in western India both as geographical locations and as imagined constructs. It uncovers the rich history of the region from the perspective of places of pilgrimage, commerce, community, expression and indigeneity.

The volume examines how spaces are intrinsically connected to the lived experiences of people. It explores how spaces in western India have been constructed over time and how these reflect in both historical and contemporary settings-in the art, architecture, political movements and in identity formation. The rich examples explored in this volume include sites of Bhakti and Sufi literature, the Maharashtrian-Sikh identity, Mahanubhav pilgrimage, monetary practices of the Peshwas, and the internet as an emancipatory space for the Dalit youth in Maharashtra. The chapters in the book establish and affirm the forever evolving cultural topography of western India.

Taking a multidimensional approach, this book widens the scope of academic discussions on the theme of space and place. It will be useful for scholars and researchers of history, cultural studies, geography, the humanities, city studies, and sociology.

Inhalt

Part I: Contextualizing spaces and places of literature and art and Maharashtrian culture and its exclusivity through Maratha and Maharashtrian culture, its art and architectural spaces. 1. Continuities and Traces: Early Maratha Architecture and The Deccan Sultanates Pushkar Sohoni 2. Blurred Lines: History, Memory and The Meanings of Maharashtra Daniel Jasper 3. Mapping The Transition of the Land Revenue System in Western India from The Pre-Colonial to The Early Colonial Period Michihiro Ogawa 4. Place and Space in Monetary History of 18th-19th Century Maharashtra: Some Insights Shailendra Bhandare 5. History, Memory, and Meaning at Karla Laurie McMillin

Part II: Spiritual spaces in Maharashtra and Maharashtrian Literature of Bhakti and Sufism 6. The Significance of Place in Mahanubhav Literature Anne Feldhaus 7. Seven Sufi Brothers: Place and Space-Making in Konkan Deepra Dandekar 8. Emplacing the Holiness: Rural Muslim Religiosity between Vaishnavas, Sufis and Demons Dusan Deak 9. Dakhani Sikhs: Issues of Identity in Maharashtrian Spaces Birinder Pal Singh

Part III: Urban, rural spaces and indigenous spaces in Maharashtrian politics and environment 10. Place of Stones and Place of Flowers: Discourses On Samyukta Maharashtra Rahul Sarwate 11. Girgaon: A Zone Of Politico-Cultural Contestation In Mumbai Aruna Pendse 12. Internet as an Emancipatory Space - Case Study of the Dalits Shraddha Kumbhojkar 13. Creating Spaces for Indigeneity from Nizam's Hyderabad State to Maharashtra Bina Sengar 14. The Aftermath of Placeless Space: Mapped, Delimited, Bifurcated, Merged. A Phenomena of Dewas S. and Dewas J. Irina Glushkova