Speaker: Dr Rakesh Ankit (Loughborough University)
Paper Title: 'In Trust for the Three Nations’? Britain, India, Pakistan and their Archival Disputes, 1947-72
Between 1947 and 1972, the governments of India and Pakistan repeatedly laid claim to a huge body of colonial archival material: the India Office Library & Records (IOL&R). These attempts, and the British government’s responses to them, have been overlooked by scholars of decolonisation. Join us for a free online talk exploring this fascinating papery dispute, where both financial profits and national narratives were at stake. Dr Rakesh Ankit (Loughborough University) will show that, unlike many African and Southeast Asian examples, the case of the IOL&R was less clear-cut and more demanding for the different sides involved.
What did the government of each nation seek to achieve and what arguments did they deploy? Why is the case of the Indian subcontinent different to those from other parts of the former British Empire? What does this dispute tell us about the ownership and management of colonial archives?
At a time when ‘decolonising’ history is in vogue, this talk will explore the complex issues surrounding the paperwork of empire and its afterlife.
This talk is free and open to everyone, and will take place via Zoom.
Join us at: https://zoom.us/j/99034437799?pwd=TnZPR1pvNkZVcnBNWkthUFJLbWtoZz09
For more events in this series please visit: https://www.rmg.co.uk/see-do/maritime-history-and-culture-seminars
Lucy Dale