Pothikkettu is a monthly editorial that ‘wraps up’ the issue for our readers.
Dear Readers,
Ala’s 70th issue is here! In this issue, we have three articles: the Malayalam translation of Shibu B. S’s article on the relevance and popularity of the pulp fiction genre in Kerala; a reflective piece on doing collaborative ethnography in Kerala, co-authored by our editor, Deepti Sreeram, and Anjana; and an article introducing the Malayalam-language newspaper The Svadesabhimani and its digital archives.
Even though the pulp fiction genre [popularly known as painkili sahityam (songbird literature)]) nurtured a reading culture among Malayalis, it is not given enough academic value. Pulp fiction novels, often circulated in weeklies, were considered low-quality writing and were seen in direct opposition to high literature. Shibu’s article attempts to learn more about this genre and its history. He delves into this through a study of his personal archival collection (steadily built over time as a once avid reader) and through interviews with people from the industry. Translating Shibu’s article also allowed us to read it along with a later published article in Ala by Mydhily M.S. on rethinking the politics of the archive in feminist film historiography. Mydhily’s article traces filmic representations of reading practices around pulp fiction and their importance in developing nonlinear histories of gender relations in Kerala. We encourage you to read the articles together as they both rethink established narratives of history and culture through a popular literary genre.
We are publishing Deepthi and Anjana’s article in two parts–in this issue and the upcoming one. Their writing presents a reflective take on the ethnographic method, drawn from their experiences in the field. They write from the perspective of two Malayali women researchers with backgrounds in different social science disciplines and varied methodological approaches, navigating their respective fields in Kozhikode together. The collaborative aspect, which they keep at the forefront of their respective projects, helps them think about the selves they fashion in their fields and the affective registers they navigate. The current issue includes Deepti’s elaborate field notes–insights from the two researchers mapping the city together, and how their interlocuters respond to them. The narrative is sure to invoke your curiosity. Keep an eye open next month for Anjana’s side of the story!
Sajitha Bashir’s article gives us a glimpse into the history of The Svadesabhimani and its recently digitised archives. As the Vice-Chairperson of The Vakkom Moulavi Foundation Trust (the organisation that has been archiving and translating existing issues of the newspaper), Sajitha takes us through the broader topics that were covered by the paper. The article also briefly summarises the processes involved in the paper’s digital archivisation. With the publication of this introductory article, we have tweaked the initial format that we had planned for this new recurring column. We have withdrawn the reprint of an article on primary education that we had published in our 69th issue so that this introductory piece can give our readers, especially those unfamiliar with its history, a broad sense of the ideas and debates surrounding the paper’s publication. As we get the ball rolling, we hope to take the column forward in the coming months by looking at specific pieces in the archive and thinking critically about the ideas and concerns they voice.
