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No need – they are all here with us. The past is contained within the present.
Which historian has had the greatest influence on you?
My adviser, Thomas Laqueur.
Mirza Ghalib.
English; Hindustani and Punjabi; decent French; marginal German; forgotten Tamil; lost Latin.
What historical topic have you changed your mind on?
The Silk Letter Plot.
Which genre of history do you like least?
Economic history that ignores context. South Asian intellectual history that relies only on English-language sources. Triumphalist narratives of ‘the West’.
What’s the most exciting field in history today?
It’s all exciting: medieval, environmental, anti-colonialism, Indian Ocean.