Among the many things which distinguish man from the lower animals and perhaps in a more spectacular but less extensive way distinguish man at an advanced level of culture from primitive man is the capacity to use the recorded experience of the past. This can help determine his actions in the present and thus determine in part what kind of future the world will see. The codification of knowledge of the past and its interpretation constitute the material of history. Doctrines and beliefs, various schools, and ideological sets about history determine each period's interpretation of what has gone on in the past. For instance, how may one reconcile the doctrinal myth of progress with the fix that the world is in now? In the light of contemporary ideas about causation, determinism, accident, objectivity, and the function and role, if any, of the individual person in history, ideas thin out. Professor

What is History

When Black Culture and Black Consciousness first appeared thirty years ago, it marked a revolution in our understanding of African American history. Contrary to prevailing ideas at the time, which held that African culture disappeared quickly under slavery and that black Americans had little group pride, history, or cohesiveness, Levine uncovered a cultural treasure trove, illuminating a rich and complex African American oral tradition, including songs, proverbs, jokes, folktales, and long narrative poems called toasts--work that dated from before and after emancipation. The fact that these ideas and sources seem so commonplace now is in large part due this book and the scholarship that followed in its wake. A landmark work that was part of the \"cultural turn\" in American history, Black Culture and Black Consciousness profoundly influenced an entire generation of historians and continues to be read and taught. For this anniversary reissue, Levine wrote a new preface reflecting on the writing of the book and its place within intellectual trends in African American and American cultural history.

Black Culture and Black Consciousness: Afro-American Folk Thought from Slavery to Freedom

The importance of medicinal plants in traditional healthcare practices, providing clues to new areas of research and in biodiversity conservation is now well recognized. However, information on the uses for plants for medicine is lacking from many interior areas of Himalaya. Keeping this in view the present study was initiated in a tribal dominated hinterland of western Himalaya. The study aimed to look into the diversity of plant resources that are used by local people for curing various ailments. Questionnaire surveys, participatory observations and field visits were planned to illicit information on the uses of various plants. It was found that 35 plant species are commonly used by local people for curing various diseases. In most of the cases (45%) under ground part of the plant was used. New medicinal uses of Ranunculus hirtellus and Anemone rupicola are reported from this area. Similarly, preparation of "sik" a traditional recipe served as a nutritious diet to pregnant women is also not documented elsewhere. Implication of developmental activities and changing socio-economic conditions on the traditional knowledge are also discussed.

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Traditional use of medicinal plants among the tribal communities of Chhota Bhangal, Western Himalaya

That Noble Dream: The "Objectivity Question" and the American Historical Profession. Peter Novick

Ethnopharmacological field studies: a critical assessment of their conceptual basis and methods.

Chalo Jahaji: On a journey through indenture in Fiji

(1998). Understanding the Indian indenture experience. South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies: Vol. 21, Across The Kala Pani: Indian Overseas Migration and Settlement, pp. 215-237.

Understanding the Indian indenture experience

The Encyclopaedia of the Indian Diaspora

Heartbreak Islands: Reflections on Fiji in transition

The Indian diaspora has grown apace in the past three decades to comprise more than 20 million people spread over all continents. Although that figure is small compared to the more than a billion i...

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Brij V. Lal

Papers

Chalo Jahaji: On a journey through indenture in Fiji

Understanding the Indian indenture experience

The Encyclopaedia of the Indian Diaspora

Heartbreak Islands: Reflections on Fiji in transition

Indian Diaspora in transnational contexts - Introduction