Title and department: Assistant Professor, History
Hometown: Kolkata, India
Educational/professional background: PhD, Harvard (2018); Assistant Professor of History at Clemson University (2018-2019)
How did you get into your field of research?
I think I knew from a very early age that I wanted to read as many books and be in as many libraries as I could. My mother, aunt and grandmother were all teachers, and the way they spoke about the ethics and responsibilities of pedagogy and research also had a deep impact on me. I began my graduate research in Bible translations into Bengali in the early 19th century, but was soon entranced by the missionaries and their Indian interlocutors. I detected the development of a complex relationship of overt repudiation and covert fascination, where Christianity was perceived as a religion and a philosophy, a denominator of racial and social difference, and as a repository of Enlightenment ethos and modernity. In my book manuscript now in preparation, I investigate the ways in which this examination of Christianity by Indians represents a philosophical engagement, leading to contestation over the nature of political allegiances of the colonized subjects, in the Indian context.
Could you please describe your area of focus?
Religion and politics in India — based on the legal and social creation of minority status of certain population groups based on their faith, and the resultant public discourse, often negative, on the figures of converted peoples.
What main issue do you address or problem do you seek to solve in your work?
I primarily look at societal and institutional changes over time through the lens of minority population groups, designated so as the result of their religion or race. A lot can be gleaned about any particular society and culture by focusing on how the government and other democratic institutions treat those that are most marginalized. My research is about trying to figure out who constitutes an “ideal” citizen and what happens when, through conversion, the parameters of being a good citizen are destabilized. The discipline of history provides us with the intellectual and moral ability to look past simple majoritarian narratives about otherness of strangers. It also trains us to sift through conflicting evidences to come close to the truth, inasmuch as that is possible.
What attracted you to UW-Madison?
UW-Madison is one of the best institutions of higher learning in the United States and in the world. The History Department is one of the top 10 departments of History in the U.S. There is a very long and storied tradition of intellectual engagement with South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Nepal), which is reflected in the fantastic library collections. The Annual Conference on South Asia is held in Madison every year, under the aegis of the Center for South Asia, UW-Madison. I wanted to be a part of this fantastic, creative, rich intellectual space!
What was your first visit to campus like?
I came for my job interview during the polar vortex week, and arrived without proper shoes. But everyone at the History Department was kind, considerate and so warm, that I soon forgot about the biting cold! I also loved the fantastic and rich discussion that followed my talk, and I was compelled to learn and think more deeply and in a far more nuanced way about my research than I had done before. I knew I wanted to be a part of the department and of the university if I were given a chance, and I am very glad I was!
What’s one thing you hope students who take a class with you will come away with?
The world is an incredibly fascinating and complex space, and that it is the many differences in culture, language, religion, food and music which allow us to enjoy our brief stay here. Differences and diversity can be beautiful, and we should learn how to enjoy these differences without creating narratives of hate and otherness. That is the only way we can create a future for ourselves and for generations to come.
Do you feel your work relates in any way to the Wisconsin Idea? If so, please describe how.
The Wisconsin Idea has been variously described as a philosophy that nurtures and sustains democratic practices, believes in the application of intelligence and reason towards solving the problems of society and advocates for human welfare and progress. At its core, my research is geared toward an understanding of the origin of fault-lines in democratic societies that divide citizens on the basis of religion and race, which in India are inextricably entwined. My research, my shining a light on these divisions, also aims to show pathways of healing, where diverse societies can come together to foster creative accommodations of difference and for the benefit of all. My students are encouraged to think about the reasons why such divisions occur and what we might do as scholars and citizens to encourage debate about diversity and create spaces where such differences are generative instead of being destructive, where we build an equitable future for all. As such, I think my work relates very closely to the core essence of the Wisconsin Idea.
What’s something interesting about your area of expertise you can share that will make us sound smarter at parties?
Legend has it that Christianity arrived in India in 52 AD, when the Apostle Thomas, or Thomas the Doubter (he who wanted to touch Jesus’s stigmata after the Resurrection), arrived at the shores of the southern Indian state of Kerala, and converted many, whose descendants are called Syrian Christians or Mar Thoma Christians. Thomas is the patron saint of India, and Christianity has flourished for over 2,000 years in the Indian subcontinent!
What are you looking forward to doing or experiencing in Madison?
I have been enjoying my time in Madison very much — the food scene is amazing, there are so many amazing gardens (I love the UW-Madison Arboretum), the farmers’ markets are fantastic. I do want to take a tour of Door County when I have time, and maybe take a boat out on the lakes!
Hobbies/other interests:
Reading books, listening to music, taking long walks, cooking and watching documentaries, films and television series (Netflix!) based on historical facts.