A blog by Namit Arora and Usha Alexander
I recently spoke to the acclaimed, fearless, and spirited Pakistani journalist Jugnu Mohsin, host of the video podcast Jugnunama, about a range of topics spanning history, politics, and society. Check it out!
I ve taken the liberty of reproducing below an email interview with my friend Abdullah Khan, published by Scroll. Abdullah is a Mumbai based novelist, screenwriter, literary critic, banker, and author of Patna Blues and A Man from Motihari. Thank you, Scroll! ‘Making procedures visible helps clarify how historical interpretations are formed’: Romila Thapar In an [ ]
Just out! Another interview featuring me and the inimitable Romila Thapar (1:10 hrs). In his questions, Shoaib Daniyal, political editor at Scroll, focused more on the interface between history and modern politics—a major topic we discuss in Speaking of History. This well-produced video also has Prof. Thapar (94) in great form. Do watch! Why Hindutva loves to [ ]
Below is a video recording of my recent lecture, The Caste System and Its Evolution in the Indian Subcontinent, delivered at the School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (1:42 hrs). The event, open to the public, was hosted by Prof. Amit Thorat and members of the Student Faculty Committee (SFC) at the Centre for the [ ]
Below is an essay I wrote in response to Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee s reflections on the challenges of anachronism and presentism in historical writing, prompted by his reading of Speaking of History (his piece is here). My response first appeared on Scroll as Rejoinder: ‘The historian can understand the past only through her own concepts of [ ]
A critical review of Speaking of History recently appeared in Frontline magazine. Its editors were kind enough to invite me to respond to it, but they abridged my response by nearly 30%—without consulting me! 🙄 Their unauthorized, mutilated version just appeared online with this tagline: “Namit Arora defends public history, challenging academic gatekeeping and addressing [ ]
Himal Southasian has an excerpt from Speaking of History (reproduced below). Three previous excerpts have appeared in The Wire, The Print, and Scroll. Check ’em all out! Romila Thapar on the emergence of a common Indian identity Namit Arora and Romila Thapar on how identities in early and medieval India were formed, contested, and why a shared sense of [ ]
In which I speak to Nicholas Gordon, editor of Fortune Magazine and host of the Asian Review of Books podcast, about Speaking of History (audio podcast on ARB site, 38 mins). Nicholas also had me on his show in 2021 to talk about my previous book, Indians. What does it mean to be a historian? [ ]
A short conversation about our book-length conversation, Speaking of History. Even at 94, Prof. Romila Thapar is in magnificent form, and Seema Chishti—writer, journalist and editor of the Wire—is brilliant as ever. Give it a watch (55 mins)!
Scroll.in has published an excerpt from chapter 21 of Speaking of History, which I ve reproduced below. I think I m not a historian but others have their point of view. The excerpt comes from chapter 21, What’s Pride-Worthy in the Hindu Past? It follows two previous excerpts in The Wire and The Print. Check em all [ ]