Positioned at the crossroads of history, anthropology, and literature, Vernacularizing Pasts—Odisha: Mahabharata to Modernity is at once an exploration of Odisha’s pre-colonial history writing and a fascinating study of the historical progression of the region’s ideas and culture. Building on the current vernacular turn in historiography, the book casts a spotlight on some of the critical concerns underlying history, time-space, modernity, community, and their associated discourses in the context of Odisha. But what is the ‘vernacular turn’ in historiography, and what are its implications for Odisha?
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