MONTREAL/October 1, 2004—
On Thursday, October 7, Concordia's Department of Religion will present a lecture by Sumit Sarkar, titled :Globalization and Secularism: An Historian's Perspective on These Challenges of the Contemporary World, under the auspices of the University's Peace and Conflict Resolution series. This public lecture will take place at 7 p.m. in the D.B. Clarke Theatre on the basement level of the Henry F. Hall Building (1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West).
Professor Sarkar is one of India's most eminent historians, with an international reputation as a scholar and academician. He is possibly the best-known historian of modern India. Until his retirement two months ago he was Professor of History at Delhi University, India, where he began teaching in 1976. His most recent publication is Beyond Nationalist Frames: Relocating Postmodernism, Hindutva, History (Permanent Black, 2002).
He will elaborate on how Indian history has become a fiercely contested area in light of the polarization of the Indian polity. He will also show how political and economic developments in India and the world have an impact on history writing, which often has less to do with a desire to know more about the past and more to do with constructing contemporary political identities and power bases, often in the service of economic and emerging elites.
In the recent past there has been considerable work done in India in confronting ideologically loaded and revisionist histories that seek to mould the past to fit contemporary political agendas. Professor Sumit Sarkar has made great contributions in this area. His work has brought understanding and objectivity in interpreting the past, thereby playing a part in ensuring that Indian multicultural society maintains its pluralistic nature.
While Professor Sarkar will deal with India with respect to issues, challenges, questions, approaches to historical research, and the place of history in contested political and economic spaces, we will also be reminded that these are issues that are not unique to India.
For more information about the lecture, contact Dr. Fred Bird at (514) 848-2424, ext. 2070. For updates about the series, please contact Laurie Lamoureux Scholes at peace@alcor.concordia .
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