The edited book will be published by a reputed publisher.
In our daily lives, we frequently encounter terms like "culture," "cultured," "highcultured," "low-cultured," and "uncultured." We often hastily label individuals based on their appearance or social status; for instance, a shabbily dressed person or a homeless individual might be instantly deemed "uncultured." Certain activities, such as traditional children's games like using a gulti (slingshot) to collect mangoes, playing hopscotch, or spinning tops, are sometimes dismissively categorized as pastimes of the chotolok or lower classes. On social media platforms, discussions frequently devolve into debates about cultural hierarchies, with participants labelling each other as belonging to "low-cultured" or "uncultured" segments of society. Officially, culture is recognized as significant enough to warrant dedicated government ministries at both state and national levels. Throughout our lives, we engage in various cultural activities, whether as part of our educational curriculum or within our families.
Even in professional settings, cultural events are organized, often serving the dual purpose of publicity and attracting financial support, with attendance sometimes being mandatory.The Oxford English Dictionary's definition of culture underscores its multifaceted nature. Derived from the Latin word cultura, meaning to cultivate or grow, culture encompasses both natural and artificial processes. It ranges from small-scale endeavours, like cultivating a home garden, to large-scale operations such as aquaculture and floriculture.Culture involves acquiring and nurturing knowledge about oneself and the world. For instance, a person who migrated to India during the Partition might preserve knowledge of their roots while adapting to their new home. This exemplifies how culture represents the acceptance of social norms and manners that unify a society. Furthermore, culture symbolizes advancement in education, encompassing not only formal learning but also the enlightenment manifested through cooperation and compassion. It's evident that culture represents seemingly contradictory characteristics and is an intricate blend of tangible and intangible societal features. The complexity of culture makes it challenging to define precisely. It is allencompassing, multi-layered, and multidimensional, much like the vast scope of journalism or the parable of the blind men and the elephant.In our exploration of Indian cultures through autobiographies, we have considered the diverse opinions of eminent personalities regarding the authenticity and reader satisfaction of these works. Authors of the chapters will apply theories of Cultural Studies to examine India's cultural diversity as portrayed in selected autobiographies. The chapter titled"Introduction" will delve into Cultural Studies in India.
Our selection process involved a thorough examination of various autobiographies. We have intentionally chosen works that have not received as much recognition as those by widely known personalities, both in India and globally. However, we have also included some wellknown autobiographies to provide a balanced representation. By combining lesser-known narratives with established works and supplementing them with secondary sources, we aim to present a nuanced and authentic exploration of Indian cultures through the lens of personal narratives. At the same time, considering the classical evolution of the genre autobiography and the massive exodus of autobiographies in India, we have restricted our focus only to autobiographies of the 20th and the 21st centuries so that justice can be done to the objectives of our book. The prefix "auto-" derives from the Greek word-forming element meaning "self." Examples include "autodidact" (a self-taught person), "autograph" (one's own signature), and"autobiography" (a self-written life story).
In our book, we've taken a nuanced approach to the concept of autobiography,distinguishing it from memoir without adhering strictly to traditional definitions. We don't limit ourselves to narratives that span from childhood to old age, nor do we assume that autobiographies are exclusively written by septuagenarians or octogenarians. Furthermore, we don't expect authors to anticipate their life's journey until their final days. Instead, we've focused on works that illustrate the author's journey from their earliest recollections to the point of writing. Some of our selected works don't explicitly use the term "autobiography" in their titles, while others do. We've also broadened our scope beyond traditional book formats,including autobiographical novels and even a radio autobiography in the form of a recorded interview. Our selection criteria emphasize narratives that chronicle the author's life from its beginning to the time of writing, regardless of the author's age or the work's format. However,we invite our readers to reflect on whether our chosen autobiographies align with the concept we've attempted to convey, or if some selections blur the line between autobiography and memoir.
Ultimately, we've aimed to present a diverse collection that challenges conventional notions of autobiography while remaining true to its essence: a personal account of one's life journey. We are looking for chapters (6000 – 8000 words including references and citations) from academicians and independent researchers not only from India but from different parts of the world based on the following sub-themes.
We are strictly seeking chapters which are not co-authored
Introduction: Background of the origin of Cultural Studies in India : (Already completed)
Culture and the literary world Autobiographies to be considered are as follows:
a. The Tunnel of Time: An Autobiography by R.K Laxman
b. Clear Light of the Day by Anita Desai
c. Munnu by Malik Sajjad
d. A Gujarat Here, A Gujarat There by Krishna Sobti
Culture, courage and resilience Autobiographies to be considered are as follows:
a. Being Reshma by Reshma Qureshi
b. Autobiography of a Sex-Worker by Nalini Jameela
c. Off the Beaten Track by Saeeda Bano
d. From Phansi Yard: My Year with the women of Yerawada by Sudha Bharadwaj
e. Born Again in Mountain: How I lost everything and found by Arunima Sinha
Culture and the world of films and plays
a. Balraj Sahni: An autobiography by Balraj Sahni
b. My days in the Underworld: Rise of the Bangalore Mafia by Agni Sreedhar
c. My Homage to All by Kanan Devid. Radio Autobiography of Sombhu Mitra (The source is available on YouTube,Prasar Bharati Archives, Part 1 and Part 2)
Last date of submission of abstract (300-350 words consisting of the RQ, Objective, Methodology, and Theory) along with a short bio-note (100 words maximum: Name,affiliation, email address, areas of work): 30th March 2025
Communication via email regarding the acceptance of the abstract: 20th April 2025
Last date of submission of the full length paper: 30th June 2025
Email address for sending abstracts: duttarpita1980@gmail.com (Ms. Arpita Dutta)CC to: drtmarx@gmail.com (Dr. T. Marx)
(All submissions should be sent to both the editors’ email addresses mentioned above).
