Dilip Menon, historian and Mellon Chair in Indian Studies at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, has urged a reimagining of Kerala’s history beyond the conventional land-based narrative. Speaking at a special lecture on “Thinking Beside the Ocean,” organised by the Inter-University Centre for Social Science Research and Extension (IUCSSRE) at Mahatma Gandhi University, Menon highlighted the vital role of maritime connections in shaping Kerala’s social and cultural identity.
Menon critiqued the traditional historiography that privileges terrestrial experiences, arguing that such approaches often overlook the transformative influence of the ocean. By centering attention on the Indian Ocean, Menon illustrated how the historical movement of people, goods, and ideas across maritime routes profoundly shaped Kerala’s development. This oceanic perspective, he contended, challenges the dominant land-focused view of history, encouraging scholars to explore the fluid and dynamic exchanges facilitated by the sea.
Addressing the limitations of a ‘terracentric’ understanding of modernity and the nation-state, Menon called for moving beyond colonial frameworks. He stressed the importance of recognising the ocean’s imprint on Kerala’s social and political trajectory. Reframing Kerala’s history in this way, he suggested, would reveal the region’s rich cosmopolitan past and the enduring legacies of maritime connections.
Menon further argued that foregrounding oceanic histories disrupts the dominance of national narratives and rigid area studies, advocating instead for an interconnected and fluid approach to social sciences and the humanities. This shift, he noted, not only offers a deeper understanding of Kerala’s past but also opens new pathways for engaging with the region’s present and future in the context of global maritime networks.
The session was chaired by Prof. A.K. Ramakrishnan, Nelson Mandela Chair Professor at Mahatma Gandhi University. K.M. Seethi, Director of IUCSSRE, Sanal Mohan, IUC Visiting Fellow, V. Mathew Kurian, Muraleedharan of the KN Raj School of Economics, A.M. Thomas, Mathew Varghese, SIRP Faculty, and others also spoke.
