Preface

Animal Studies, in their broadest sense, are a research field of primary importance in contemporary scholarship, since animal issues are nowadays increasingly called into question in all academic disciplines. While various aspects of the relationship between human and non-human animals in South Asia have been the focus of many studies, several issues are still unsolved and need to be re-examined or studied ex-novo in the light of recent research paradigms and newly acquired sources. This is the broad context in which the articles of this issue of Kervan are framed. They touch upon a variety of crucial topics, proposing original interpretations and providing extensive bibliographies. By addressing the South Asian context in its multifaceted complexity, we hope that this volume will provide new insights and lay some much-needed foundations for future studies.