Knowledge Systems of Kerala offers a brief introduction to regional knowledge systems that have evolved in Kerala. The textbook introduces students to a range of knowledge embedded in artefacts, cultural practices and oral narratives, as well as what has been codified in written texts.
The knowledge systems of ethnic communities; Kerala’s contributions to knowledge and skill in arts, crafts and architecture; its rich martial and Ayurveda traditions; ritual and classical performance traditions in the region; the knowledge embedded in Kerala’s renaissance and reform movements; significant texts and personalities in literature, philosophy, mathematics and science; and stone age tools and megalithic monuments, are all touched upon.
The book celebrates composite cultures that have developed under uneven techno-economic conditions. It underlines the diversity of regional knowledge forms and their interconnections with knowledge systems across the Indian subcontinent.
The Editor:Rajan Gurukkal is Vice Chairman, The Kerala State Higher Education Council.
Preface Contributors 1. Understanding Regional Knowledge Systems 2. Antecedents 3. Knowledge Systems of Ethnic Groups 4. Embedded Knowledge in Arts, Crafts and Architecture 5. Textual Survivals of Oral Compositions 6. Institutionalised Knowledge Systems 4. Embedded Knowledge in Arts, Crafts and Architecture 5. Textual Survivals of Oral Compositions 6. Institutionalised Knowledge Systems 7. Ayurvedic Healthcare System 8. Logic and Philosophy 9. The Coming of New Knowledge to Kerala: Translation, Modernisation and Social Reform Publisher’s Acknowledgements