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Romila Thapar speaking at the U.S. Library of Congress
Romila Thapar speaking at the U. S. Library of Congress

Romila Thapar (born 1931) is an Indian historian whose principal area of study is ancient India. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country See also History An historian is an individual who studies and writes about History, and is regarded as an Authority on it This article is about the history of South Asia prior to the Partition of British India in 1947

Contents

Work and recognition

After graduating from Panjab University, Thapar secured her doctorate under A. L. Basham at the School of Oriental and African Studies, the University of London in 1958. Panjab University is one of the oldest Universities in India. Professor Arthur Llewellyn Basham (24 May 1914&mdash27 January 1986 was a noted historian and Indologist and author of a number of books The School of Oriental and African Studies (commonly abbreviated to " SOAS " pronounced (so as or (so az is a constituent college of the University of The University of London is a university based primarily in London, England, UK. Later she worked as Professor of Ancient Indian History at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, where she is Professor Emerita. _____________________________________________________________The sprawling campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University (जवाहरलाल नेहरू विश्वविद्यालय New Delhi (नई दिल्ली ਨਵੀਂ ਦਿੱਲੀ نئی دلی is the Capital city of India. Emeritus (ɨˈmɛrɨtəs is an Adjective that is used in the title of a retired Professor, Bishop or other professional

Thapar's major works are Asoka and the Decline of the Maurya, Ancient Indian Social History: Some Interpretations, Recent Perspectives of Early Indian History (editor), A History of India Volume One, and Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300. Her historical work is critical of elites[1] and portrays the origins of Hinduism as an evolving interplay between social forces. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Her recent work on Somnath examines the evolution of the historiographies about the legendary Gujarat temple. The Somnath Temple located in the Prabhas Kshetra near Veraval in Saurashtra, on the western coast of Gujarat, India is the most [2]

Ancient Indian Social History deals with the period from early times to the end of the first millennium, includes a comparative study of Hindu and Buddhist socio-religious systems, and examines the role of Buddhism in social protest and social mobility in the caste system. From Lineage to State analyses the formation of states in the middle Ganga valley in the first millennium BC, tracing the process to a change, driven by the use of iron and plough agriculture, from a pastoral and mobile lineage-based society to one of settled peasant holdings, accumulation and increased urbanisation. [3]

Thapar has been a visiting professor at Cornell University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the College de France in Paris. The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn) is a private University located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment ( Grand établissement) located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement She was elected General President of the Indian History Congress in 1983 and a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy in 1999. The British Academy is the United Kingdom 's National academy for the Humanities and the Social sciences It was established by Royal Charter [4]

Thapar is an Honorary Fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, and at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Lady Margaret Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located at the end of Norham Gardens The School of Oriental and African Studies (commonly abbreviated to " SOAS " pronounced (so as or (so az is a constituent college of the University of The University of London is a university based primarily in London, England, UK. She holds honorary doctorates from the University of Chicago, the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales in Paris, the University of Oxford and the University of Calcutta. The University of Chicago is a Private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. The Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO is located in Paris, France The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the Formally established on the 24 January 1857, the University of Calcutta (also known as Calcutta University) (কলকাতা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় [5]

In 2004 the U. S. Library of Congress appointed her as the first holder of the Kluge Chair in Countries and Cultures of the South. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress The John W Kluge Center occupies study and meeting spaces within the Library of Congress ' restored Thomas Jefferson Building. [5]

In January 2005, she declined the Padma Bhushan awarded by the Indian Government. The Padma Bhushan award is an Indian civilian decoration established on January 2, 1954 by the President of India. In a letter to President A P J Abdul Kalam, she said she was "astonished to see her name in the list of awardees because three months ago when I was contacted by the HRD ministry and asked if I would accept an award, I made my position very clear and explained my reason for declining it". The President of India or Rashtrapati ( Hindi: राष्ट्रपति a Sanskrit Neologism, lit Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (அவுல் பகீர் ஜைனுலாப்தீன் அப்துல் கலாம் born October 15 1931 Tamil Nadu Thapar had declined the Padma Bhushan on an earlier occasion, in 1992. To the President, she explained the reason for turning down the award thus: "I only accept awards from academic institutions or those associated with my professional work, and not state awards". [6]

Views on revisionist historiography

Thapar is critical of what she calls a "communal interpretation" of Indian history, in which events in the last thousand years are interpreted solely in terms of a notional continual conflict between monolithic Hindu and Muslim communities. This article deals with the use of the word communalism in South Asia as a name for a force separating different communities based on some form of social or sectarian A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Thapar says this communal history is "extremely selective" in choosing facts, "deliberately partisan" in interpretation and does not follow current methods of analysis using multiple, prioritised causes. [7]

During the 2006 Californian Hindu textbook controversy, Thapar joined Michael Witzel in opposing changes proposed by US-based Hindu groups to the coverage of Hinduism and Indian history in school textbooks. A controversy in the US state of California concerning the portrayal of Hinduism in history textbooks began in 2005. Michael Witzel (born July 18, 1943 at Schwiebus, Germany now Poland is Wales Professor of Sanskrit at Harvard University, United She contended that while Hindus have a legitimate right to a fair and culturally sensitive representation, the proposed changes included unscientific, religious-based material that distorted the truth and pushed a political agenda. [8]

Thapar's appointment to the Kluge Chair was opposed in an online petition[9] bearing more than 2,000 signatures. Praful Bidwai criticized the petition as a "vicious attack" by communalists who are "not even minimally acquainted" with her work. Praful Bidwai (born 1949 is an Indian journalist, political analyst and activist [10] A number of academics sent a protest letter[11][12] to the Library of Congress denouncing the petition as an attack on intellectual and artistic freedom.

Bibliography

Books

Edited anthologies

Published 1969 People's Publishing House

Select papers, articles and chapters

References

  1. ^ Ronald Inden, 1990, Imagining India, pp. Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama 154-156, 197
  2. ^ Perspectives of a history - a review of Somanatha: The Many Voices of a History
  3. ^ E. Sreedharan (2004). A Textbook of Historiography, 500 B. C. to A. D. 2000. Orient Longman, 479-480.  
  4. ^ Penguin publicity page
  5. ^ a b Romila Thapar Named as First Holder of the Kluge Chair in Countries and Cultures of the South at Library of Congress. Library of Congress (April 17, 2003). Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.
  6. ^ "Romila rejects Padma award" - Times of India article dated January 27, 2005
  7. ^ The Rediff Interview/ Romila Thapar. The Times of India ( TOI) is a leading English-language Broadsheet Daily newspaper in India. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Rediff (February 4, 1999). Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar)
  8. ^ Thapar, Romila. "Creationism By Any Other Name…", Outlook, February 28, 2006. Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.  
  9. ^ "Romila Thapar's appointment to Library of Congress opposed"- Rediff article dated April 25, 2003
  10. ^ Bidwai, Praful. Rediffcom India, is a news information entertainment and shopping portal Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. "McCarthyism's Indian rebirth", Rediff, May 13, 2003. Events 1497 - Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on [[2007-04-04]]. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I.  
  11. ^ Gatade, Subhash. "Hating Romila Thapar", Himal South Asian, June 2003.  
  12. ^ (Text)Letter of Protest by Scholars and Intellectuals Against the Attack on Romila Thapar. South Asia Citizens Web (7 May 2003). Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.

External links

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