Between Folklore and Archive: Reclaiming Marginalized Histories in Amitav Ghosh

Authors

  • Dr Aditi Kalra Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of Rajasthan Author
  • Dr Pooja Joshi Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of Rajasthan Author https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5440-8602

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31305/rrjiks.2026.v3.n1.011

Keywords:

Myths, Folklores, Ecology, Environmental Degradation, Marginalized Histories

Abstract

Myths and folklores have always fascinated authors. These are the treasure trove of our ancient knowledge and value system and need to be deconstructed in the contemporary contexts. Amitav Ghosh in his writings has incessantly voiced out his concerns about ecology and environmental degradation and to find the solution of contemporary ecological issues he goes back to ancient myths and folklores. The objective of the present study is to explore the narrativizing of myths and folklores in the select works by Amitav Ghosh from the perspective of environmental concerns. For this purpose, two novels by the author, The Hungry Tide and The Circle of Reason along with one non-fictional work The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis have been chosen for a detailed analysis of how Ghosh seeks a reclaiming of marginalized histories through his writings.

Author Biographies

  • Dr Aditi Kalra, Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of Rajasthan

    Dr. Aditi Kalra is an Assistant Professor at Department of English, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur. She has teaching experience of more than a decade. Her area of research was Cosmopolitanism in the narratives of Zadie Smith and Teju Cole. Her area of expertise includes Green Studies, Black Literature, Postcolonial Literature, Diaspora and Linguistics. She has published over 25 research papers in journals and books. Dr. Kalra has actively participated in numerous national and international conferences and seminars. She has been on various administrative positions including Rector and Proctor.

  • Dr Pooja Joshi, Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of Rajasthan

    Dr. Pooja Joshi is currently working as an Assistant Professor at the Department of English, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, Rajasthan (India). Besides publishing a wide range of research papers in reputed journals, she has co-edited three volumes including recent publication of 'Navigating Crisis and Culture: A Literary Discourse' (2025). Her areas of academic research include Cultural Studies, Environmental Humanities, Decolonial Writings, South Asian Narratives and North-East Indian Writings.

References

Callaghan, Patsy. “Myth as a Site of Ecocritical Inquiry: Disrupting Anthropocentrism”. ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, Volume 22, Issue 1, Winter 2015, pp. 80- 97, https://doi.org/10.1093/isle/isu127

Ghosh, Amitav. Jungal Nama. Harper Collins Publisher India. 2021.

---. The Circle of Reason. Penguin UK, 2009.

---. The Great Derangement. University of Chicago Press, 2016.

---. The Hungry Tide. London: Harper Collins. New Delhi, 2005.

Sen, Sudeep. “Songs of the Sundarbans.” Open Magazine,

https://openthemagazine.com/lounge/books/song-of-the-sundarbans/. Accessed 6 Feb., 2026.

Wirzba, Norman. “Climate change and the failure of incarnational nerve” The Christian

Century. https://www.christiancentury.org/review/books/climate-change-failure-incarnational-nerve. Accessed 12th Feb., 2026.

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Published

2026-06-30

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026): Research Review Journal of Indian Knowledge Systems [JAN-JUN 2026]

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Kalra, A., & Joshi, P. (2026). Between Folklore and Archive: Reclaiming Marginalized Histories in Amitav Ghosh. Research Review Journal of Indian Knowledge Systems, 3(1), 107-111. https://doi.org/10.31305/rrjiks.2026.v3.n1.011