New Thinking: India in the archives
Arts & Ideas
BBC
4.2 • 599 Ratings
🗓️ 6 July 2022
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Whether it’s Jane Eyre transported to India, childrens masks used for political protests or film posters that trigger memories, there are endless fascinating stories nestled amongst archives that researchers are diligently bringing to the fore. Dr Naomi Paxton meets three researchers who work in archives that focus on Indian culture and history to find out more about some of the unexpected stories hiding amongst the books, prints and film paraphernalia.
Dr Monia Acciaria is Associate professor in Film and Television History at DeMontfort University and Associate Director of the UK Asian Film Festival. You can explore the Creative Archives of Indian Cinema YouTube channel here https://youtube.com/channel/UCN-wV7Jl9YeR3pGzJaP7-mw
Dr Pragya Dhital is the curator of ‘Crafting Subversion: DIY and Decolonial Print’. Her research focuses on paper crafts and communications in modern India. The exhibition ‘Crafting Subversion: DIY and Colonial Print’ is on until 3rd September 2022 at the SOAS Brunei Gallery https://www.soas.ac.uk/gallery/crafting-subversions/
Olivia Majumdar is project curator of ‘Two Centuries of Indian Print’ project at the British Library and specialises in novels in translation in Colonial India. Explore ‘Two Centuries of Indian Print’ at the British Library online here https://www.bl.uk/early-indian-printed-books Olivia’s article on the Tarakeswar Affair is here https://www.bl.uk/early-indian-printed-books/articles/notes-on-a-scandal
This episode was made in partnership with the AHRC, part of UKRI.
You can find more conversations about New Research in a playlist on the Free Thinking website https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03zws90
Producer: Sofie Vilcins
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Can I just say? |
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| 0:34.6 | Hello. |
| 0:35.9 | In today's new thinking episode of the Arts and Ideas podcast, we're thinking about |
| 0:40.1 | new perspectives on Indian culture and history. I'm Naomi Paxton, and I'm joined by three |
| 0:45.2 | researchers who have been immersed in archives which tell us about writers, artists and filmmakers |
| 0:50.0 | from across India's recent and not so recent past. |
| 0:58.7 | Monia Achari is Associate Professor in Film and TV History at De Montfort University, |
| 1:04.6 | working with a collection there that is forming part of the first permanent Indian cinema archive at a UK university. |
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