CfP: An Environmental History of Eastern India
Eastern India, encompassing the states of Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and parts of Chhattisgarh and Assam, is a region of remarkable ecological richness and historical depth. Characterized by diverse natural landscapes—ranging from ancient forests and sacred groves to riverine deltas, coastal ecosystems, and mineral-rich highlands—Eastern India’s environment has played a pivotal role in shaping human societies over millennia. Conversely, human activities have significantly transformed the region’s ecological profile through time.
This proposed volume, An Environmental History of Eastern India: From Earliest Times to the Twenty-First Century, aims to explore the dynamic interactions between people and nature across different historical epochs, from prehistory to the contemporary period. It will investigate how ecological factors influenced patterns of human settlement, religious and cultural practices, economic organization, and political change throughout Eastern India.
The book will address critical themes such as the representation of nature in literature and art, systems of forest and water management, sacred landscapes, traditional ecological knowledge, and the implications of colonial and postcolonial developmental interventions. It will also examine community responses to ecological disruptions including famines, floods, deforestation, mining, and climate change.
Despite the ecological and cultural richness of Eastern India, scholarly literature on its environmental history remains sparse. While significant academic attention has been devoted to its societal, political, economic, and religious dimensions, the environmental aspects have often been overlooked. By bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives from history, archaeology, anthropology, ecology, geography, and cultural studies, this volume seeks to fill this critical gap.
We invite scholars, researchers, environmental scientists, anthropologists, geographers and practitioners to contribute original chapters that engage with this theme from diverse disciplinary perspectives.
Indicative Sub-Themes (including but not limited to):
Environment and Archaeology: Landscapes, Sites, and Resource Use
Environment and Inscriptions: Epigraphic Insights into Land, Water, and Forests
Environment, Art, and Architecture
Representation of Environment in Medieval Literature
Animals in Medieval Texts and Cultural Practices
Environment, Temple, and Forest Management in Medieval times
Environment and Settlement Patterns: Rivers, Coasts, and Urban Development
Forest Management through the Ages: Sacred Groves, Colonial Exploitation, and Tribal Practices
Agriculture, Irrigation, and the Ecology of Food Systems
Environment and Maritime Trade: Ports, Estuaries, and Resource Exchange
Disasters and Ecological Change: Floods, Famines, and Cyclones in Historical Perspective
Tribal Ecologies: Customary Practices, Biodiversity, and Resistance Movements
Mining, Industrialization, and Environmental Degradation (Colonial to Contemporary)
Forest, ecology and literature of colonial period
Environmental Movements and Policy: Forest Rights, Conservation, and Activism
Climate Change and Environmental Vulnerability in Eastern India
Traditional Knowledge and Environmental Preservation
Women, Environment, and Conservation Efforts
Eco-feminism and Environmental Humanities
Contributions may focus on specific case studies, historical periods, thematic investigations, or comparative frameworks related to environmental history of Eastern India.
Submission Guidelines:
Abstract Submission Deadline: 15 July 2025
Notification of Acceptance: 25 July 2025
Full Chapter Submission Deadline: November 2025
Publication of book: July 2026 (Tentative)
Publisher: The forthcoming edited volume will be published by Bloomsbury Publishing as part of its distinguished series.
Abstract Length: 200-300 words, including title, five keywords, and author affiliation. Abstracts must outline the methodology, sources, research questions, and preliminary findings.
Chapter Length: 5,000–8,000 words (including references)
Submissions must be original and unpublished. Interdisciplinary, empirical, theoretical, and collaborative works are highly encouraged.