MSAS Seminar: The Indian Diaspora and Transnational Political Identities

Speaker: Edward Anderson (Northumbria University)

Chair: Dr Thiruni Kelegama

 

The political lives, identities, and influence of the Indian diaspora have been much discussed in recent years. This paper will contextualise current political trends within a longer historical trajectory, and explore the genealogies of contemporary mobilisations, tensions, and transnational networks. It will consider the emergence and evolution of various expressions of ‘longdistance nationalism’, and suggest that these might be understood as part of a global political movement underpinned by multidirectional flows of ideas, but also set in the context of a particular diasporic consciousness.

Edward Anderson is Assistant Professor in History at Northumbria University. He works on the history and politics of migration and diaspora – with a focus on India and Britain – in the 20th and 21st centuries. Edward’s work has focused in particular on questions around transnational networks, political movements, diasporic identity, and multiculturalism. Before joining Northumbria University in 2020, Edward was the Smuts Research Fellow in Commonwealth Studies at the University of Cambridge’s Centre of South Asian Studies (2015-19).

 

All are welcome

 

Enquiries: asian@sant.ox.ac.uk or 01865-274559