History is a volatile subject in modern India. Talking about the past often provokes strong emotional responses, many of which are harnessed by political parties for their own ends. This talk, given by Audrey Truschke, Assistant Professor of South Asian History at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, explores the affective-cum-political aspect of history in the Indian public sphere and how it intersects and, sometimes, interferes with the practices of modern historians. Truschke uses three case studies in the talk: Hindutva rewritings of the “Hindu” past, attempts to change India’s physical landscape, and treatments of manuscript archives in India. In each example, emotions run high, but the affective and its political implications are formulated in different ways. She will try to work out each case study’s internal logic, political ramifications, and potential fall out for historians.
This lecture is part of the Liu Institute’s 2018-19 Legitimacy and Propaganda in Contemporary Asia speaker series.
Originally published at asia.nd.edu.