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South Asian forest-dwellers and the making of world histories

Daniela De Simone (UGent) and Sunil Gupta
(2025) SOUTH ASIA-JOURNAL OF SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES. 48(2). p.245-255
Author
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Abstract
This special issue explores the central role of South Asian forest-dwelling communities in shaping regional and global histories from the third millennium BCE to the eve of colonial rule. Drawing on archaeological, textual, botanical and ethnographic sources, the contributions trace how forest products such as timber, spices, medicinal plants and ivory moved through upland–lowland networks and entered wider systems of exchange. Far from being peripheral, forest-dwellers were key agents in processes of exchange due to their environmental knowledge. Bringing their labour and expertise to the fore, the special issue challenges longstanding historiographical models that marginalise forest societies, offering instead a more ecologically attuned and inclusive account of South Asia’s past. Focusing on connections with the western regions (the Mediterranean, Red Sea and Gulf), it highlights the sustained influence of forest goods and knowledge across diverse civilisational contexts, while contributing to broader debates in environmental and subaltern historiography.
Keywords
Forest-dwellers, Forest products, Ecological knowledge, Subaltern history, Local and transregional exchange networks, Longue durée history, CONSUMPTION

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MLA
De Simone, Daniela, and Sunil Gupta. “South Asian Forest-Dwellers and the Making of World Histories.” SOUTH ASIA-JOURNAL OF SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES, edited by Daniela De Simone and Sunil Gupta, vol. 48, no. 2, 2025, pp. 245–55, doi:10.1080/00856401.2025.2503608.
APA
De Simone, D., & Gupta, S. (2025). South Asian forest-dwellers and the making of world histories (D. De Simone & S. Gupta, Eds.). https://doi.org/10.1080/00856401.2025.2503608
Chicago author-date
De Simone, Daniela, and Sunil Gupta. 2025. “South Asian Forest-Dwellers and the Making of World Histories.” Edited by Daniela De Simone and Sunil Gupta. SOUTH ASIA-JOURNAL OF SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES. https://doi.org/10.1080/00856401.2025.2503608.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
De Simone, Daniela, and Sunil Gupta. 2025. “South Asian Forest-Dwellers and the Making of World Histories.” Ed by. Daniela De Simone and Sunil Gupta. SOUTH ASIA-JOURNAL OF SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES. doi:10.1080/00856401.2025.2503608.
Vancouver
1.
De Simone D, Gupta S. South Asian forest-dwellers and the making of world histories. De Simone D, Gupta S, editors. Vol. 48, SOUTH ASIA-JOURNAL OF SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES. 2025. p. 245–55.
IEEE
[1]
D. De Simone and S. Gupta, “South Asian forest-dwellers and the making of world histories,” SOUTH ASIA-JOURNAL OF SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES, vol. 48, no. 2. pp. 245–255, 2025.
@misc{01K1B2K9F8E9QPASF3SGT18CA1,
  abstract     = {{This special issue explores the central role of South Asian forest-dwelling communities in shaping regional and global histories from the third millennium BCE to the eve of colonial rule. Drawing on archaeological, textual, botanical and ethnographic sources, the contributions trace how forest products such as timber, spices, medicinal plants and ivory moved through upland–lowland networks and entered wider systems of exchange. Far from being peripheral, forest-dwellers were key agents in processes of exchange due to their environmental knowledge. Bringing their labour and expertise to the fore, the special issue challenges longstanding historiographical models that marginalise forest societies, offering instead a more ecologically attuned and inclusive account of South Asia’s past. Focusing on connections with the western regions (the Mediterranean, Red Sea and Gulf), it highlights the sustained influence of forest goods and knowledge across diverse civilisational contexts, while contributing to broader debates in environmental and subaltern historiography.}},
  author       = {{De Simone, Daniela and Gupta, Sunil}},
  editor       = {{De Simone, Daniela and Gupta, Sunil}},
  issn         = {{0085-6401}},
  keywords     = {{Forest-dwellers,Forest products,Ecological knowledge,Subaltern history,Local and transregional exchange networks,Longue durée history,CONSUMPTION}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{245--255}},
  series       = {{SOUTH ASIA-JOURNAL OF SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES}},
  title        = {{South Asian forest-dwellers and the making of world histories}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1080/00856401.2025.2503608}},
  volume       = {{48}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}
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