History and Heritage: The Afterlife of Monuments

Curator: Prof. Himanshu Prabha Ray

Recentering Southeast Asia

Speakers: Dr. T.C.A. Raghavan, historian and award-winning author, former diplomat and Director General, Indian Council of World Affairs; and Prof. Himanshu Prabha Ray, Tagore National Fellow, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Chair: Prof. Madhavan K. Palat, distinguished historian, scholar of the modern world, and political commentator

The talk will draw on the recently published book Recentering Southeast Asia: Politics, Religion and Maritime Connections (Routledge: 2025) which highlights the ‘restructuring’ of the shared past of India and Southeast Asia through European colonization and the multiple nationalisms of the region in the late 19th and early 20th century. The speakers will present case studies from archaeology and art history; and explore 20th century developments through the lens of political figures like Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964); the role of the Greater India Society (1926-1959); and Buddhism in underpinning post-World War II connections across Asia