Prerana Nair (School Doctoral Scholar, HCA, University of Edinburgh)

Thesis title: Traded Silks for the Gods in Kerala: Patola silks, their use and circulation in Southwestern India between the 17th and 18th centuries

Biography

Background

I'm a second year doctoral researcher working on exploring regional connections within the Indian subcontinent,  especially between Gujarat and Kerala using patola silk textiles between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. My project analyses the use and circulation of patola (originally from Gujarat) within the southwestern region of Kerala, where the textile was reborn with a new name, Veerali Pattu and with a new identity, as cloth for the gods. The project serves the dual purpose of discovering regional connections on one hand and reconnecting with my roots in Kerala, on the other. 

I'm born and brought up in Delhi and my family belongs to Kerala, India. I completed my undergraduate degree in History from Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University and postgraduate degree in Conservation, Preservation and Heritage Management from the Delhi Institute of Heritage Research and Management (now under Ambedkar University, Delhi). Prior to pursuing my PhD, I was actively involved in the Indian heritage and culture sector for over five years, where I was exposed to regional traditions and the role of objects in the socio-cultural context, which to my benefit helped me finalise my PhD project.

Qualifications

MA Conservation, Preservation and Heritage Management, Delhi Institute of Heritage Research and Management (now under Ambedkar University)

BA History (Hons), Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi

 

Research summary

Early Modern Indian History, Material Culture, Global History, Indian Ocean history, Textile history, Art history

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