Department of History and Archaeology

A sense of history is central to our relationship with the world around us. This understanding guides the Department of History and Archaeology at Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence. It informs our undergraduate and postgraduate programs, where we impart a rigorous 
training in disciplinary theory and methods, critical analysis, and encourage students to write clearly and creatively.

The Department offers a unique and creative intertwining of history, archaeology, and museum studies as distinct disciplinary approaches to the past. We have a strong focus on research with faculty who are experts in their various fields. The faculty is invested in expanding the frontiers of scholarship in history and archaeology, and regularly undertakes independent and collaborative research projects, both locally and internationally.

Our independent projects enable us to speak across the social sciences, create bridges between the sciences and humanities, and proactively communicate our work to larger audiences.

In the classroom, our aim is to make studying the past more enjoyable through a creative engagement with the sources. Of particular note is the Archaeology Lab which not only contains an interesting collection of artifacts but is also a space used to introduce students to important field-methods and offer resources for intensive study. 

The Department has a vibrant culture of research. Scholars from both within the country and abroad speak at our seminar series and interact with students and colleagues. Graduate students of the department present their work before an academic community at research
workshops and colloquia. We encourage student participation in seminars and conferences, exhibitions, and film screenings.

Mnemon, the Students' Society of the Department, regularly organizes a series of activities through which students can imaginatively interact with their historical pasts. Visits to places of historical importance, quizzes, debates, fairs and fetes are some of the events organized by the Society. The Department and the University facilitates internships and research related opportunities for students, which allows them to gain a hands-on experience in the field.

We envision the department as a democratic and interdisciplinary space with students and faculty who are committed to a creative and critical engagement with the past. We welcome undergraduate and doctoral students from diverse backgrounds.

Explore Programs under the Department of History and Archaeology

Faculty at Department of History and Archaeology

Ajay Dandekar
Ajay Dandekar

Professor

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of History and Archaeology
Anubhuti Maurya
Anubhuti Maurya

Associate Professor and Head

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of History and Archaeology
Claire Wintle
Claire Wintle

Honorary Professor

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of History and Archaeology
Divya Kannan
Divya Kannan

Assistant Professor

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of History and Archaeology
Hemanth Kadambi
Hemanth Kadambi

Associate Professor

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of History and Archaeology
Iman Mitra
Iman Mitra

Assistant Professor

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of History and Archaeology
Kaustubh Mani Sengupta
Kaustubh Mani Sengupta

Assistant Professor

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of History and Archaeology
Lynn  Meskell
Lynn Meskell

Honorary Professor

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of History and Archaeology
Marco  Madella
Marco Madella

Visiting Professor

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of History and Archaeology
Meera  Viswanathan
Meera Viswanathan

Associate Professor

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of History and Archaeology
Megha Sharma
Megha Sharma

Department of History and Archaeology

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of History and Archaeology
Sudeshna  Guha
Sudeshna Guha

Professor

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of History and Archaeology

Recent Research

Religion, Politics, and Landscapes in Archaeology
Religion, Politics, and Landscapes in Archaeology

How do states and empires dominate regions, sometimes for centuries? Are questions of resource exploitation and resource sharing only about dominance and subservience? What does built and natural...

Epigraphy: Texts and Culture
Epigraphy: Texts and Culture

As a historian interested in questions of written culture, my analysis often begins after an inscription has been read and deciphered. Reading these inscriptions leads me to ask questions such as:...

Museum Archaeologies and Heritage Histories: Thinking Through Things
Museum Archaeologies and Heritage Histories: Thinking Through Things

We aim to explore the manner in which notions of cultural heritage are created and nurtured through the scholarship and governance of archaeology with specific references to the archaeologies of...

Studies in Economic History
Studies in Economic History

Studies in economic history of South Asia seldom engage with the histories of the economic discipline; and when they do, they mainly focus on the development of the discipline in the West. Our...

Social and Cultural Pasts of South Asia
Social and Cultural Pasts of South Asia

My main areas of research, particularly with a focus on South Asia include Histories of Childhood and Youth, Empires and Colonial Violence, Histories of Education, Curriculum, and Pedagogy, Public...

Paradise at the Frontier: A History of Kashmir in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries
Paradise at the Frontier: A History of Kashmir in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

How does one write the history of a region, a time, or a process in the shadow of an apolitical formation like the Mughal empire? This is a question that confronts most early modern historians of...