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.

Fiji's much anticipated election was held in September 2014, returning Frank Bainimarama's Fiji First Party to power under a proportional representation open list system sanctioned by the decreed 2013 constitution. It marks an important step on a long and fraught journey back to parliamentary democracy. A new start has been made, but a lot will depend on how deeply Bainimarama's publicly declared multiracial vision is shared by his own supporters, including the military, overwhelming Indigenous Fijian, which has a proven history of being a friend neither of multiracialism nor of democracy. Whether this turns out to be a pyrrhic victory for one man or a turning point in Fiji's modern history remains to be seen.

In Frank Bainimarama's Shadow: Fiji, Elections and the Future

(1980). Approaches to the study of Indian indentured emigration with special reference to Fiji. The Journal of Pacific History: Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 52-70.

Approaches to the study of Indian indentured emigration with special reference to Fiji

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Pacific Islands History: Journeys and Transformations.

Constitutional Engineering in Post-Coup Fiji

"Texts and Contexts" is concerned with the development of Pacific Islands history as a specialization in its own right. Specifically, this volume examines the foundational texts that pioneered and consolidated the new subdiscipline and served as the building blocks and stepping-stone for further developments in the field. Thirty-five texts, all of which represent defining points in the development of Pacific Islands historiography, are examined. Much more than retrospective appraisals of the foundational texts, the individual chapters consider a text or complimentary texts within the context of the time of writing and gauge what ongoing influence they exerted. In some cases they suggest how a particular text has been superseded by subsequent work that breaks new conceptual ground in the ongoing process of revisionism.

Brij V. Lal

Papers

In Frank Bainimarama's Shadow: Fiji, Elections and the Future

Approaches to the study of Indian indentured emigration with special reference to Fiji

Pacific Islands History: Journeys and Transformations.

Constitutional Engineering in Post-Coup Fiji

Texts and contexts : reflections in Pacific Islands historiography