About the Journal

Exploring History: A Journal of Indian and Asian History is an international, partially open-access, and peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to promoting historical research on India and other Asian countries. Established in 2008, the journal has been published annually, providing a platform for scholars to engage with diverse historical themes, with a particular emphasis on regional history. Although it welcomes submissions on general historical issues, its primary focus remains on fostering in-depth studies of local and regional histories across Asia.

The journal was formerly included in the University Grants Commission (UGC) list of approved journals, a testament to its academic rigor and contribution to historical scholarship. It has been assigned the ISSN number 2230-8490, ensuring its recognition in global academic and bibliographic databases. Additionally, Exploring History is indexed under the ONOS database, further enhancing its accessibility and credibility among researchers and historians.

While the journal covers a broad spectrum of historical topics, it particularly encourages research that delves into regional histories, offering nuanced perspectives on lesser-known events, cultures, and socio-political developments in India and other parts of Asia. By emphasizing regional historiography, the journal contributes to a more inclusive understanding of the past, moving beyond dominant national narratives.

As a peer-reviewed publication, Exploring History maintains high academic standards, ensuring that all submitted manuscripts undergo rigorous evaluation by experts in the field. This process guarantees the quality and originality of the research published. The journal follows a partially open-access model, making select articles freely available to the public while others remain accessible through subscriptions or institutional access. This approach balances wider dissemination of knowledge with the sustainability of the publication.

Since its inception in 2008, Exploring History has served as a vital resource for historians, researchers, and students interested in Indian and Asian history. By publishing annually, it provides a consistent outlet for scholarly discourse, encouraging interdisciplinary approaches and methodological innovations in historical research.

Exploring History: A Journal of Indian and Asian History stands as a significant academic publication, bridging gaps in regional historical studies while maintaining international scholarly standards. Its inclusion in the UGC list (formerly) and the ONOS database underscores its relevance in the academic community. For historians seeking to explore the rich and diverse past of India and Asia, this journal remains an essential platform for intellectual exchange and research dissemination.

For submissions and further details, researchers are encouraged to visit the journal’s official website or contact the editorial team.

 

ISSN CERTIFICATE
DECLARATION FROM THE PUBLISHER

Call for Papers

Exploring History: A Journal of Indian and Asian History (since 2008)

ISSN 2230-8490
Issue: XIX

June 2026

Concept Note

Histories at the Limit of Nationalist History: Transition, Transgression and Transformation in South Asia

Scholars and researchers are invited to submit original research articles for publication in an upcoming academic volume exploring new historiographical perspectives beyond the conventional boundaries of nationalist history in South Asia.

For long, the writing of South Asian history has largely been shaped by nationalist frameworks that privilege state-centric narratives, institutional histories, and elite political actors. While these frameworks have contributed significantly to the discipline, they often overlook the complex interactions of communities, cultures, and local experiences that lie beyond the domain of official archives and macro-national narratives.

This proposed publication seeks to explore histories that exist at the margins—or limits—of nationalist historiography. It aims to bring together scholarly works that examine how minor, micro, and subaltern histories challenge, complicate, or reframe dominant narratives of the nation.

A central focus of the volume will be on community interactions, cultural exchanges, and everyday practices that shaped South Asian societies but remain insufficiently represented in mainstream historiography. Many of these histories cannot be reconstructed solely through conventional archival sources; instead, they emerge through oral traditions, alternative archives, community memory, folk narratives, literary representations, and vernacular knowledge systems.

By foregrounding these sources and perspectives, the volume seeks to anthologise diverse historical imaginaries that can reshape our understanding of institutions, nationalist cartographies, and identity politics in South Asia.

 

Possible Themes (Indicative)

  • Community interactions and cultural exchanges in South Asia
  • Micro-histories and subaltern perspectives beyond nationalist narratives
  • Oral traditions, folklore, and memory as historical sources
  • Alternative archives and vernacular knowledge systems
  •  Literary representations and historical imagination
  • Indigenous knowledge and community memory
  • Borderlands, mobility, and contested cartographies
  • Local histories and everyday life
  • Reimagining institutions and power structures from below
  • Identity, culture, and the politics of historical representation

 Submission Guidelines

  • Articles must be original and unpublished.
  • Length: 6,000–8,000 words (including notes and references).
  • Citation Style: Chicago Manual of Style (Notes & Bibliography).
  • Please include an abstract (250–300 words) and 5–6 keywords.
  • Manuscripts should be submitted in MS Word format.

Important Dates

  • Abstract Submission: 15 May, 2026
  • Intimation about Acceptance: 31 May, 2026
  • Full Paper Submission: 30 June, 2026
  • Notification of Acceptance: 31 July, 2026

Submission & Queries

Email: exploringhistorygm@gmail.com

Website: https://exploringhistory.in

Researchers from History, Sociology, Cultural Studies, Literature, and related disciplines are warmly encouraged to contribute.

Join us in rethinking the limits of nationalist historiography and exploring the plural, layered, and contested pasts of South Asia.