Anveshan (अन्वेषण) — The relentless pursuit of inquiry that transcends artificial boundaries, reconciling traditional wisdom with contemporary critical thought.

Editorial Vision & Conceptual Scope

The contemporary intellectual landscape demands a radical departure from rigid academic silos. As global systems face profound ethical, ecological, cultural, and technological transitions, the compartmentalization of knowledge into isolated disciplines often fails to capture the complexity of human experience. ANVESHAN: International Journal of Humanities, Cultural Studies and Social Sciencesis launched as a peer-reviewed, open-access academic forum dedicated to fostering transdisciplinary scholarship across the Humanities, Arts, Culture, Literature, History, Philosophy, and Social Sciences.

The inaugural issue of Anveshan seeks to inaugurate a critical dialogue between traditional intellectual heritages and modern methodological frameworks. At the core of this initiative is the examination of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS)—not as static historical artifacts, but as dynamic, evolving methodologies of logic (Nyaya), hermeneutics (Mimamsa), aesthetics (Rasa-Dhvani), ethics (Dharma), statecraft (Niti), architecture (Vastu), environmental stewardship, and civic living. Anveshan invites scholars to explore how these indigenous frameworks interact with, critique, and enrich global academic discourses across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

By situating Indian knowledge traditions within a comparative, transnational, and multidisciplinary global matrix, this inaugural volume aims to illuminate how heritage, textual traditions, oral histories, material culture, and social dynamics continuously shape modern societies.

Epistemological Horizons

1. Reimagining Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) Globally: Tracing the diaspora, reception, translation, and adaptation of Indic texts, sciences, arts, and philosophical traditions across ancient, medieval, and contemporary global contexts.
2. Historiography, Memory, and Materiality: Moving beyond singular nationalist or Eurocentric narratives to explore micro-histories, regional developments, archival studies, architectural heritages, and subaltern voices.
3. Literature, Language, and Aesthetic Theory: Analyzing literary expressions, translation dynamics, folk performance, visual culture, and Classic aesthetics in dialogue with contemporary literary and cultural theories.
4. Society, Governance, and Human Values: Investigating structural transformations, social stratification, gender dynamics, public policy, indigenous governance, and ethical philosophy in a rapidly globalizing world.
5. Ecological Humanities and Sustainable Wisdom: Examining traditional ecological knowledge, environmental humanities, human-nature interconnectedness, and indigenous conservation practices in an age of climate uncertainty.
6. Digital Humanities and Emerging Technologies: Exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence, computational linguistics, digital archiving, biometrics, and media studies with traditional disciplines.

Thrust Areas & Suggested Sub-Themes

Track 1: Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) & Global Epistemologies

• Classic and vernacular philosophical traditions (Darshanas) in modern contexts.
• The global reception, translation, and impact of Indian texts across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
• Shastrarth (dialogic inquiry) and indigenous research methodologies.
• Traditional sciences, astronomy, mathematics, metallurgy, and medicine (Ayurveda) in historical perspective.
• Indian theories of language, linguistics (Vyakarana), and semantics (Sphota).

Track 2: History, Archival Studies & Architectural Heritage

• Historiography, historical methodology, and regional history.
• Structural evolution of Indian architecture: Rock-cut caves, Temple architectural styles (Nagara, Dravida, Vesara, Bhumija), Fortifications, and Stepwells (Baolis).
• Colonial, post-colonial, and Islamic architectural influences and urban history.
• Epigraphy, numismatics, and archival preservation techniques.
• Trade routes, maritime histories, and cultural exchange networks across the Indian Ocean and Silk Route.

Track 3: Literature, Performing Arts & Visual Culture

• Comparative literature, translation studies, and world literature.
• Classic aesthetics (Rasa, Dhvani, Acharatva) and modern critical theory.
• Cinema, theatre, oral traditions, folk arts, and performative cultures.
• Representation of history, trauma, identity, and memory in literature.
• Visual arts, manuscript painting, iconography, and material culture.

Track 4: Sociology, Philosophy, Politics & Social Inquiry

• Social stratification, caste, gender, class, and intersectional identity studies.
• Epistemology, ethics, logic, and moral philosophy.
• Statecraft, ancient governance systems, human rights, and contemporary legal studies.
• Education systems: From ancient Gurukulas and universities (Nalanda, Takshashila) to modern pedagogy and NEP frameworks.
• Religion, ritual, mythology, and secularism in comparative perspective.

Track 5: Environmental Humanities & Spatial Studies

• Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and community-led conservation.
• Sacred groves, riverine cultures, and sustainable resource management.
• Spatial humanities, geography, borderland studies, and cultural landscapes.
• Human-environment relationships in literature, history, and sociology.

Track 6: Digital Humanities, Media & Interdisciplinary Futures

• Digital preservation of rare manuscripts, archives, and heritage sites.
• Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Indian languages.
• Mass communication, media culture, digital public spheres, and social transformation.
• Pedagogical innovations in teaching humanities and social sciences.

Submission Guidelines

• Full Paper Length: 4,000 to 7,000 words (including abstract, references, and footnotes).
• Abstract: 250–300 words accompanied by 5 to 7 relevant keywords.
• Language: Submissions are accepted in English and Hindi (high-quality academic register).
• Formatting: Font: Times New Roman (English, Size 12, 1.5 line spacing) / Kruti Dev or Mangal (Hindi, Size 14, 1.5 line spacing). Citation Style: Chicago Manual of Style (17th Edition) / APA (7th Edition) / MLA (9th Edition) — consistency across the manuscript is mandatory.
• Originality: Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration by any other journal or publisher. A similarity/plagiarism check will be conducted (maximum threshold: 10%).

Peer Review & Publication Policy

• Double-Blind Peer Review: All submitted papers will undergo a rigorous double-blind peer-review process by subject experts.
• Open Access & Indexing: Anveshan is committed to wide scholarly reach. All accepted articles will be published online with permanent DOI assignments and submitted for indexing in major national and international academic databases.
• Ethics Statement: The journal strictly adheres to international standards of publication ethics and academic integrity.