South Asia Through a Global Lens

South Asia has been connected to the rest of the world via trade and cultural exchange since ancient times. Current historiography within Economic and Global History, however, reflects this connection only partially, with a disproportionately high emphasis on the colonial encounter in the subcontinent. Important aspects of South Asian economic history remain disconnected from mainstream economic and global economic history debates. Like many other fields of study, South Asian economic history suffers from the lack of a meaningful discourse between Economics, History and other related disciplines and methodologies.

The workshop 'South Asia Through a Global Lens' aims to bridge these intellectual divides and reconnect South Asia with mainstream debates in Economic and Global History across historical periods and to highlight the rich and influential South Asian history of global engagement. The workshop will also facilitate a dialogue between academics from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds and contribute to the body of knowledge related to South Asia and global economic history. It aspires to throw light on pathways for the future via an exchange of ideas on how South Asia may rejoin the global debates in world economic history.

This is the third instalment of the South Asia Economic History Workshop series hosted by LSE’s Economic History Department, and organised by its PhD students. The primary goal of this annual series is to field new research in South Asian economic history and encourage collaboration amongst academics focused on the region. 

Panel Discussion: Reconnecting South Asia with Global Economic History - Challenges and the way ahead

This year, the workshop will host a panel discussion on the future of South Asian Economic History and its importance in understanding global development, as well as its influence on world development thus far. 

We are very happy to have the following academics participate as panellists:  

• Professor Tirthankar Roy, Professor of Economic History (LSE) https://www.lse.ac.uk/Economic-History/People/Faculty-and-teachers/Roy/Professor-Tirthankar-Roy  
• Professor Bishnupriya Gupta, Professor of Economics (Warwick University) https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/bgupta/
• Professor B. R. (Tom) Tomlinson, Professor of History (SOAS University) https://www.soas.ac.uk/staff/staff31929.php
• Professor Giorgio Riello, Professor of Global History and Culture (European University Institute and Warwick University) https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/people/staff_index/griello/ 
  
• Panel Chair: Dr. Leigh Gardner, Associate Professor of Economic History (LSE) https://www.lse.ac.uk/Economic-History/People/Faculty-and-teachers/Dr-Leigh-Gardner

Topics to be covered will include:

• Is South Asia well represented within the global economic history literature?
• Is there an overfocus on colonialism in South Asian economic history?
• What have been the biggest limitations to the development of South Asian economic history?
• What does the future of South Asian economic history look like? 

 Programme

You can view the programme for the event here: South Asia Through a Global Lens Programme [PDF]

You can also view the programme at this webpage: South Asia Through a Global Lens Programme