Institutional Repository

Scholar@UOC is the primary academic repository of the University of Calicut.

This repository is aimed to collect, preserve and distribute the research output of the members of our University. This is an open access system hosted and managed by the University Library.

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 38

Recent Submissions

Historical novel writing An analytical study with special refernce to Tarjuman Al Malik of Omar Fadlalallalla
(PTM Goverment College, University of Calicut, 2025) Sameera, M.P.; Abdul Raheem, M.K; Mohammed Noorul Ameen, V
Historical fiction is regarded as one of the most significant narrative genres capable of reshaping the past within an artistic framework that brings together documentation and imagination. It does not merely transmit historical events; rather, it reinterprets them through an intellectual and cultural vision that reflects the concerns and questions of the present. The more successfully a historical novel balances factual credibility with narrative freedom, the deeper its impact and the greater its ability to revive collective memory and foster awareness of identity. This dissertation examines the art of writing the historical novel through an analytical and critical study of Tarjuman al-Malik (The King’s Interpreter) by the Sudanese writer Omar Fadlalla, considering it a narrative model that seeks to reconstruct and fictionalize historical events within a distinctly Sudanese cultural context. The study investigates the narrative mechanisms and artistic techniques employed by the author in representing history, revealing the interplay between the real and the imagined, and exploring how historical facts are integrated into a novelistic plot that transcends mere documentation to achieve a coherent artistic vision. The research also addresses the thematic structure of the novel, the development of its characters, and its narrative style, with particular attention to the role of these elements in reviving cultural memory and affirming identity. In addition, it analyses the social and political implications of historical representation, the use of language, and the incorporation of oral traditions and local narratives as fundamental components in shaping the novel’s discourse. Furthermore, the study situates Tarjuman al-Malik within the broader context of the historical novel in Arabic literature in general, and Sudanese fiction in particular, highlighting its contribution to the development of historical narration in contemporary Sudanese literature and its role in interrogating history and rereading it from cultural and aesthetic perspectives. Methodologically, the dissertation draws on a range of critical approaches, primarily the historical method, the descriptive-analytical method, and the artistic/structural method, while also benefiting from modern narratological approaches. This combination enables a comprehensive reading of the text in terms of its structure, meanings, and cultural context. The dissertation is organized into four main chapters: Chapter One: Writing the Historical Novel in Arabic Literature—Concept and Characteristics. Chapter Two: The Arabic Novel in Sudan—Revisiting Its Literary History. Chapter Three: Omar Fadlalla and His Contributions to the Historical Novel. Chapter Four: An Analytical Reading of Tarjuman al-Malik by Omar Fadlalla Narrative Structure and Historical Significations. The study concludes that Tarjuman al-Malik represents a narrative experiment deeply aware of the dialectical relationship between history and fiction. It demonstrates the capacity of the historical novel to function as a space for dialogue with the past, a means of preserving culture, and a tool for constructing national identity, while rearticulating fundamental questions concerning power, memory, and the human condition.
Study of heavy metal induced changes in some selected medicinal plants
(Sreenarayana College, Nattika, University of Calicut, 2025) Hridhya. M.J.; Anitha, C. T.
Heavy metal pollution has increasingly become an environmental issue associated with the accelerated process of industrialization and has proven to be harmful to plant productive capacity and human health. Medicinal plants, which are used in the preparation of medicines, have especially become threatened as they have largely been grown in polluted sites. The aim of the current study was to assess the impact of certain heavy metals influencing the germination, development, physiological, antioxidant, and bioactive substance production of three medicinal plants, Andrographis paniculata, Emilia sonchifolia, and Tridax procumbens. The experimental study entailed the controlled treatment of seeds and seedlings with varying concentrations of copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), and zinc (Zn). The parameters considered in detecting the early growth responses, in addition to the biochemical analysis, aimed at determining the activity of the antioxidants and the total phenolic, included germination percentage, root, shoot, vigour index, and phytotoxicity. The measurement of bioactive compounds, andrographolide, and quercetin by using the principle of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was also done. The outcome revealed that high metal stress had significant effects on germination and growth, and these were dose- and species-specific. Lesser concentrations of Cu and Zn had stimulatory effects on growth and the production of secondary metabolites, while high concentrations and Cr treatment had significant inhibitory effects on growth and caused phytotoxicity. Among the test plants, Tridax procumbens had been found to be relatively tolerant to high metal stress, while Emilia sonchifolia had been found to be highly sensitive. The increased accumulation of antioxidants in response to low metal stress had been found to be an adaptive measure against oxidative stress. This study concludes that there can be significant impacts of heavy metals on the physiological and phytochemical properties of medicinal plants. The results of the analysis have provided important information that can be used to monitor the growing conditions, especially with respect to heavy metal impact, and shed light on the physiology of plant stress and tolerance to heavy metals
Visual impairment creativity fulfilment contextualizing select autobiographies and memoirs
(Govt College Malappuram, University of Calicut, 2025) Akbar, C; Vilayathullah, A. I.
The thesis submitted to the University of Calicut titled *Visual Imparement, Creativity & Fulfilment: Contextualizing Select Autobiographies and Memairs’ by Akbar C, under the supervision of Dr. A. 1. Vilayathullah examines the selected autobiographies of the visually impaired, focusing on areas such as creativity, aesthetics and perception of blindness in the selected texts and fulfillment of the concerned authors in their personal life tackling the limitations caused by their impairment. The thesis statement of the study is: Visual impairment can stimulate a wide variety of textual responses in a writer, which could be aesthetic, philosophical, psychological, emotional, political, or cultural depending on his or her degree of impairment, education, familial environment, external support, awareness, and above all the creative imagination that he or she relies on to overcome the loss and tackle the obstacles. The major texts selected for the present study are, The Story of My Life (1903) and The World I Live in and Optimism: A Collection of Essays (2009) by Helen Keller, Face to Face: An Autobiography (1957) and All for Love (2001) by Ved Mehta, If You Could See What I Hear (1989) by Tom Sullivan, On Sight and Insight: A Journey into the World of Blindness (1997) by Professor John M. Hull, Taking Hold: My Journey into Blindness (1994) and On my Own: The Journey Continues (1997) by Sally Hobart Alexander, Planet of the Blind (1998) and Eavesdropping: A Life by Ear (2006) by Stephen Kuusisto and Sight Unseen (1999) by Georgina Kleege. The whole thesis is divided in to 5 chapters. The first introductory chapter presents the structural design of the thesis, states its main objectives, explains the research gap and analyzes the available resources. The second chapter titled ‘The World of Blindness and the World of Letters: Visual Impairment, Autobiographies and Creativity’ focuses on the areas of autoblographles Disability SlUdleS A conceptual, technical and historical examination of blindness and the relatlonshlp between blindness and creativity. The researcher observes that among the selected authors, Helen Keller, Professor John M. Hull and Stephen Kuusisto emplay a highly distinguished language to represent their own experiences of blindness, Whereas, Tom Sullivan, Sally Hobart Alexander and Ved Mchta compose their texts in a general language accentuating the practical nuances of blindness. Georgina Kleege subtly shifls between these subjective ruminations and practical observations. Sufficient passages from the selected texts are quoted to substantiate this argument. The third chapter titled 'From the Visual to the Multisensory World: The Aesthetic and Perceptive Realms of the Texts' emphasizes the areas of aesthetics and perception of blindness by different authors. Sensory hierarchies of different authors and their subjective understandings on blindness are analyzed. Helen Keller, Professor John M. Hull, Georgina Kleege and for a certain extent Stephen Kuusisto present their own aesthetics of blindness in their autobiographies. They rely on senses other than sight or move from the visual to a multisensory paradigm to become successful in life. The others focus more on the practical realities of blindness with occasional subjective contemplations. The fourth chapter, ‘In the Innermost Corridor: The Personal Life of the Authors and their Prospects of Fulfillment’ discusses the personal life of the concerned authors concentrating the areas such as the nature of impairment and immediate reaction to it, social and familial life, marriage family and sexuality, strategies to overcome the hurdles created by the impairment and the prospects of fulfillment in their personal and social life transgressing their impairment. Major events in the life of each author are surveyed for this analysis. In the 5th and final chapter, major findings of the research are summarized while listing the important challenges and the adopted solutions to tackle such issues. Noteworthy directions for the future research are also provided. The study is concluded citing the major primary and secondary resources used.
A methodological study of the scientific interpretation of cosmic verses in the tafsir Al Jawahir by Sheikh Tantawi Jawhari
(Department of Arabic, University of Calicut, 2025) Nazer.K; Mohammed Haneefa.P
This study presents a methodological analysis of the scientific interpretation (tafsīr ʿilmī) of cosmic verses in Tafsīr al-Jawāhir by Sheikh Tantawi Jawhari. It investigates the hermeneutical foundations and exegetical techniques through which Jawhari seeks to harmonize Qur’anic discourse with scientific knowledge. By examining his interpretive principles, terminology, and use of science-related language, the study explores how al-Jawāhir addresses themes such as cosmogenesis, celestial order, and the laws about the universe, reflecting an integrative approach that combines traditional Qur’anic exegesis with modern scientific perspectives. The research situates Jawhari’s methodology within the broader context of modern Qur’anic hermeneutics, highlighting its intellectual contributions in stimulating reflection, expanding exegetical horizons, and fostering dialogue between revelation and empirical inquiry. At the same time, it critically evaluates the methodological challenges of scientific exegesis, including the risks of interpretive excess, dependence on provisional scientific theories, and anachronistic readings of the Qur’anic text. The study underscores essential methodological controls for tafsīr ʿilmī, such as adherence to Qur’anic context (siyāq), respect for classical exegetical principles, linguistic precision, and caution against imposing modern science onto revelation. The study further contextualizes Jawhari’s methodology within the broader landscape of modern Qur’anic hermeneutics, demonstrating the strengths and limitations of his scientific exegesis Finally, the study engages with scholarly criticism of Al-Jawāhir, providing a balanced assessment of its contributions, constraints, and methodological significance. The findings are expected to benefit scholars, students of Qur’anic exegesis, and researchers interested in tafsīr ʿilmī, the role of Qur’anic language.
Displaced voices Re imaging the self in select syrian refugee women autobiographies
(Mercy College, University of Calicut, 2025) Sree Lakshmi, K.; Praseedha G.
This thesis examines selected autobiographical narratives by Syrian refugee women to explore how life writing functions as a site of identity reconstruction, narrative activism, and resistance in the context of war, displacement, and exile. Situating itself at the intersection of life-writing studies and refugee studies, the research analyses four memoirs authored by women from diverse social and professional backgrounds, including childhood activism, disability advocacy, sports, and literary witnessing. Through close textual analysis, the study demonstrates that these narratives move beyond mere documentation of suffering and strategically reconfigure the refugee subjects as agentive, visible, and politically engaged. The theoretical framework draws primarily on Sidonie Smith and Julia Watson’s concepts of autobiographical subjectivity and identity construction, which illuminate how selfhood is consciously shaped through genre, voice, and narrative positioning. This framework is further enriched by E. F. Kunz’s Kinetic Model of Refugee Movement and Vamik D. Volkan’s theory of refugee trauma, enabling a nuanced understanding of displacement as both a structural and psychological experience. Together, these approaches reveal how trauma, mobility, and memory influence narrative form and self-representation. The thesis identifies significant generic diversity across the texts, including the autobiographical manifesto, human rights narrative, jockography, and testimonio, demonstrating how genre choice itself becomes a narrative strategy. By foregrounding lived experience, collective witnessing, and public engagement, the memoirs perform narrative activism and resist reductive humanitarian representations of refugee women as passive victims. Ultimately, the study argues that Syrian refugee women’s autobiographies constitute a powerful literary intervention that transforms personal narratives into acts of cultural resistance, global advocacy, and self-authorship, thereby making a substantive contribution tocontemporary refugee literature and women’s life-writing.