Many think history is a dry and dated subject that has little relevance today. What would you like to say to them?
Honestly, I think that’s an impossible position to maintain given the frequency of discussions about the Indian past in the Indian press and popular culture. In truth, I would say that South Asian history is a dynamic, even explosive subject that is hyper relevant today. For those who think otherwise, I challenge you to consider the vast range of subjects within history, including the history of fashion, jewellery, marriage, food, music, film, alcohol, drugs, and more (all of which I touch upon in India).
Your scholarship has been met with both acclaim and intense criticism. How do you handle personal attacks versus scholarly critique?
Ad hominem attacks and scholarly critique are two entirely different phenomena. The first have no intellectual substance, and frankly, nothing to do with my scholarship. Generally, those who send me death threats, threaten to rape me, say they will use violence against my family, or use bigoted and foul language (all recurrent things, unfortunately) have not even read my work. I address such inappropriate attacks by taking security precautions. Scholarly critique is different, and I welcome it with open arms. After all, scholars disagree with one another like fish swim in water, and criticising one another is how we better ourselves as researchers and our collective understanding of South Asian history.
How do you see the role of the historian in public discourse today?
Being a public-facing historian is dangerous work in India, and that’s detrimental to everyone. India currently ranks at the bottom of the world in academic freedom, which hampers the ability of its academy—including Indian professors and students—to thrive in their academic and professional pursuits. I am based in New Jersey, but the pursuit of public-facing history is not bound by nation-state borders. My goal is to bring awareness and appreciation of Indian history to as many people as will listen.
In the current global climate, what do you hope international readers take away from a long-view of Indian history?
I’ll name three big takeaways from my India book: (1) Indian history matters, a lot. (2) Indian history is much more than rulers and elites. (3) Indian history is not the history of the modern nation-state but a broader set of cultures and traditions.