Sumallya Mukhopadhyay, an IOHA Council member, along with his colleague, Aiswarya Sanath, has floated a Call for Papers (CFP) regarding Oral History in India. Here’s a brief write-up.
“This is a Call for Papers for a special issue titled, “Mapping the Diverse Horizons of Oral History in India: Theory, Method, Practice.” The central idea of the special issue is to map the multiple directions in which oral history is evolving within India today and to highlight its significance in understanding lives, histories, and identities that often remain outside conventional archives. The issue will be published in collaboration with The Oral History Review [https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/uohr20].
We invite interested individuals to send us an abstract based on the following themes, but not limited to:
- Methodological innovations in oral history
- Designing an oral history project
- Techno-Memories: AI, algorithm, and archives
- Oral histories of marginalised communities in India (religious minorities, LGBTQ+, Dalit, Adivasi, Tribal and subaltern life stories)
- Oral history at the intersection of oral traditions
- Oral histories, object narratives, and material culture
- Gendered memories and intimate oral histories
- Coastal histories, mountain histories, environmental histories
- Oral histories of labour movements and informal economies
- Oral histories of social movements and political resistance
- Oral histories of migration (refugees, stateless populations, diaspora)
- Oral histories of artistic, musical, and performative traditions
- Corporate oral histories
- Oral histories in education and pedagogy
- Intimacy, kinship, and family histories
We welcome submissions that address these questions and more, whether through case studies, methodological reflections, archival discussions, or theoretical interventions. The issue aims to map the multiple directions oral history is taking within India today and to highlight its significance in understanding lives, histories, and identities that often remain outside conventional archives.
The publication of the issue is divided into three phases. In the first phase, we encourage interested individuals to send us an abstract (350-500 words) of their proposed papers. The deadline to submit the abstract is 15 January 2026. Kindly email your abstracts to indiaoralhistory@gmail.com.The second phase commences as we inform the selected contributors to submit their papers to us (5000-7000 words, including references & notes). The papers will undergo a conventional blind peer-review process. The final phase comprises the production process, which will be handled by the editors of the journal.
We envision publication of the issue in mid-2027. Please find the attached PDF for additional information.”
Special Issue Editors,
Dr. Sumallya Mukhopdhyay & Dr. Aiswarya Sanath
For details, see: https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20134776/cfp-special-issue-oral-histories-india