Conveners: Imre Bangha, Polly O'Hanlon, and Kate Sullivan de Estrada
Speaker: Manan Ahmed (Columbia)
Abstract:
I present a short overview of my recent book, I closely examine the most complete idea of Hindustan, elaborated by the early seventeenth century Deccan historian Firishta, in his Tarikh. The talk will cover the methodological argument of the book. I will focus on the ways in which Firishta’s philosophy of history shapes the ways in which he reads the past.
Bio:
Manan Ahmed, Associate Professor, is a historian of South Asia and the littoral western Indian Ocean world during the medieval and early modern periods. His areas of specialization include intellectual history; critical philosophy of history, colonial and anti-colonial thought. He is interested in how modern and pre-modern historical narratives create understandings of places, communities, and intellectual genealogies for their readers. He is the author of A Book of Conquest: The Chachnama and Muslim Origins in South Asia (Harvard University Press, 2016) and The Loss of Hindustan | The Invention of India (Harvard University Press, 2020).
Pre-registration required. Please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/modern-south-asian-studies-seminar-series-hilary-term-tickets-135658737937 to book either for this seminar or the whole series.