ABSTRACT
This chapter primarily aims at constructing a ‘comprehensive’ account of Malabar as a contested historical space. Malabar has been imagined, mystified and portrayed through fables, myths, legends, prejudices and different types of historical narratives such as travelogues, censuses, ethnographic surveys and so forth. Stemming from mythical construction of Malabar, the chapter throws light on present-day Malabar which has largely evolved from its everyday life. Through these narratives the venture is also made to explore the spatial geography of Malabar which has been constructed in different times. In addition, it categorizes the two paradigms of ‘knowledge system’ from the mythical-historical Malabar to the colonial constructed Malabar.
