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Sumathi Ramaswamy

James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of History
History
Box 90719, Duke University, Department of History, Durham, NC 27701
Dept of History, 325 Classroom Bldg, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


I am a cultural historian of South Asia and the British Empire and my research over the last few years has been largely in the areas of visual studies, the history of cartography, and gender. My recent publications in this area include The Goddess and the Nation: Mapping Mother India (Duke University Press, 2010); and three edited volumes, Barefoot Across the Nation: Maqbool Fida Husain and the Idea of India (Routledge, 2010),  Empires of Vision (co-edited with Martin Jay, Duke University …

Current Appointments & Affiliations


James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of History · 2018 - Present History, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of History · 2007 - Present History, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Chair of the Department of History · 2023 - Present History, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of the International Comparative Studies Program · 2018 - Present International Comparative Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

In the News


Published September 24, 2024
New Immerse Course Focuses on Caste System in India (Deadline: Oct. 1)
Published July 19, 2021
11 Duke-Authored Books on Global Perspectives

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Recent Publications


Passions of the tongue: Language devotion in Tamil India, 1891-1970

Book · September 1, 2023 Why would love for their language lead several men in southern India to burn themselves alive in its name? Passions of the Tongue analyzes the discourses of love, labor, and life that transformed Tamil into an object of such passionate attachment, producin ... Cite
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Recent Grants


Anneliese Maier Research Award

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation · 2016 - 2022

Cartography and Creativity in the Age of Global Empire

ConferencePrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation · 2012 - 2012

Barefoot Across India: Art & The Politics of Risk

ConferencePrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Josiah Charles Trent Memorial Foundation · 2009 - 2010

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of California, Berkeley · 1992 Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania · 1986 M.A.
Jawaharlal Nehru University (India) · 1982 M.A.
University of Delhi (India) · 1980 B.A.