South Asian History
50 Years Before Hilary Clinton: Indira Gandhi
Fifty years ago, on January 24, 1966, Indira Gandhi was sworn into office as India’s third prime minister. She was not the first elected female head of state–that honor goes to Sirivamo Bandaraniake of Sri Lanka. But she was the first woman elected to her country’s highest position who played a visible role on the…
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In Memoriam: Eleanor Zelliot and Gujurati Special Railway Tea
When people ask me what led me to study South Asian history, the first thing I always tell them I fell in love with Rudyard Kipling’s Kim when I was eight. The second thing I tell them is that I had a wonderful professor at Carleton who inspired me. Eleanor Zelliot’s memorial service is today.…
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The Violent and Often Ugly Story of How Portugal Won A Global Empire
In works such as City of Fortune, Empires of the Sea and 1453, historian Roger Crowley focused on the struggles between the Renaissance powers–Christian and Muslim alike–over who would control the Mediterranean and the lucrative trade between East and West. In Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire, Crowley moves his account outside…
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