K. N. Panikkar (born April 26, 1936 in Guruvayoor, Kerala) is an Indian
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...
, associated with the
Marxist school of historiography.
K. N. Panikkar has written and edited a number of books, including ''A Concerned Indian’s Guide to Communalism'' and the ICHR volume on ''Towards Freedom, 1940: A Documentary History of the Freedom Struggle''.
His methods and his expressed positions in public life have evoked harsh criticism from exponents of
Hindu nationalism
Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expression of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. "Hindu nationalism" or the correct term ''Hindū rāṣṭ ...
, particularly during the period of Bharatiya Janata Party government of 1998 to 2004. Panikkar has been active in criticising the rise of "Nationalist" history in India. His books include ''Against Lord and State: Religion and Peasant Uprisings in Malabar''; ''Culture and Consciousness in Modern India''; ''Culture, Ideology and Hegemony – Intellectuals and Social Consciousness in Colonial India'', and ''Before the Night Falls''.
He was appointed by the government of Kerala as chairman of an Expert Committee that looked into the complaints raised from various quarters concerning new textbooks introduced to state-supported schools. The committee submitted its report in October 2008.
See also
* M. G. S. Narayanan
Muttayil Govindamenon Sankara Narayanan, commonly known as M. G. S. Narayanan (born 20 August 1932) is an Indian historian, academic and political commentator. He headed the Department of History at Calicut University (Kerala) from 1976 to 199 ...
* A. Sreedhara Menon
Alappat Sreedhara Menon (18 December 1925 – 23 July 2010), known as A. Sreedhara Menon, was an Indian historian from Kerala. He is best known as the State Editor (1958–68) of Kerala District Gazetteers (1961–1975). He served as registrar o ...
* Rajan Gurukkal
References
* K N Panikkar, Attoor Ravi Varma bag Kerala Sahitya Akademi fellowship
* 'Will quit as Chancellor': Kerala Guv upset at state of higher education, writes to C
* In JNU, works of Gail Omvedt and Dalit scholars are relegated to ‘underground’ network
* Valiathan, Panikkar, Raghava Warrier get Kairali lifetime achievement award
* When History is Held Hostage: Commemorating the Continuing Sufferings of the Mappila Martyrs of 192
* Reform judiciary to protect its independence: Bhusha
* Muslims, Hindus and the Malabar rebellion – why 1921 matter
External links
Kerala Council for Historical Research
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panikkar, K. N.
1936 births
Living people
Malayalam-language writers
Indian Marxist historians
Indian Marxist writers
Writers from Thrissur
Government Victoria College, Palakkad alumni
20th-century Indian historians
Scholars from Kerala
Indian male writers
20th-century Indian non-fiction writers
People from Guruvayur
Historians of Kerala
Recipients of the Abu Dhabi Sakthi Award