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 observation which in a way is the necessary precursor to later contestation.
 III The history of Kerala has been a researcher's delight due to its institutional distinctiveness and political radicalism which called for explanation and analysis. The usual debate about chronology and dynastic history not withstanding institutions like 'marumakkathayam' (matrilini) and 'jenmi sampradayam' (landlordism) and political currents like peasant militancy and radical political movements have taken up the bulk of historians' time and energy. The Kerala path of political transformation and, more recently, the Kerala model of development have added grist to the mill. Underlying all these issues, however, is a common thread