Contemporary Amritsar is a representation of rather many complex manifestations; from radical, naxal, dalit, agrarian and communal politics to theatre, drama and folk culture, old flavours and newer cuisines, old form of cosmopolitan culture to newer representations of demographic relationships, urban landscape of the walled city and its decay to contemporary forms of urbanisation, colonial legacy and reconfiguration of city space, Sufi shrines in Amritsar, rediscovery of the legacy of Ranjit Singh and exploration in tourism development, growth and development of educational infrastructure, decay and reinvention of literary culture, role of memory and its relation with contemporary history, green revolution, industrialisation and economic restructuring in the context of globalisation, etc. A city which has not only been at the core of Sikh politics, but also a major literary centre inspiring writers in Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu and hub of industrial and trading activities.

After the partition of Punjab, a major focus of understanding and academic pursuit has been the recovery and exploration of the pre-colonial and colonial history of Amritsar. The contribution of the Sikh Gurus and legacy of Sikhism to this city in the medieval period, and the imagery of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the anti-colonial struggle have significant areas of research. With the rise of research centres in various universities in the West, has given major thrust to the history of Punjab in general and Amritsar in particular. But the focus of these research centres and the Universities in Punjab continues to be either meta-narratives of History where Amritsar is seen as playing its part either as a major centre or as an event with the larger domain of politics. Besides, has been marginal focus on ‘micro-histories’ in Punjab. Significantly, micro-processes not just play a major role in shaping the history of a region, but shall facilitate a critical and nuanced understanding and social formations.

This edited volume tends to investigate such diverse trends in the evolution of Contemporary Amritsar which takes account its various dynamics since 1947.

Interested Scholars may send their methodologically nuanced and empirically grounded entries to the editor at contemporaryamritsar@gmail.com till 31st July 2010.