Recent calls to ‘decolonise’ knowledge and social frameworks in post-colonies are in fact a renewal of similar attempts over the last few decades to modernise arcane colonial ideological structures of knowledge, and to adapt colonial institutions to their contemporary contexts. Nowhere is this felt more acutely, consistently, and ironically than in the legal frameworks and penal codes of South Asia’s post-colonial nations: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. While some areas like transgender rights have seen significant strides in some countries in the region, the persistence — and consequent misuse — of several outdated penal codes continue to hinder the realisation of a more equitable society.
The events in this series, in collaboration with , are located at the intersection of South Asia’s socio-cultural crystallisation within and around inherited colonial criminal and civil penal codes, and their residual influence in post-colonial nation-states in the region. Academics, activists and practitioners will discuss continuity and change in the use of colonial laws, and explore the rationale of their use in anachronistic contexts. Individual events will examine if legal reforms and judicial interventions can create an equal, fair and just society.
SHOULD COLONIAL OBJECTS IN MUSEUMS BE RETURNED?
Tuesday, 27 September 2022 | 3.30pm UK time
Should objects/artefacts in museums across the world, acquired via colonisation of other countries, be returned to the countries of origin?
Speakers: (@profdanhicks) is (), at the (Oxford), and , , . He is the author of (2020); (@DollyKikon) is , , and is part of the Return, Restore and Decolonise (RRaD) team to initiate the repatriation of Naga ancestral human remains from the to the Naga ancestral homeland, discussed in '' (2022); (@majapearce) is a writer, journalist and literary critic. His review essay '' (2021) engages with the complex question of cultural restitution; is Professor in the , , New Delhi, and co-editor of (2015), amongst others.
Chair: Dr Nilanjan Sarkar (@SAsia杏吧论坛) is Deputy Director, 杏吧论坛 South Asia Centre.
Please click to watch a recording of the event.
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SHOULD WE APOLOGISE FOR THE PAST?
Thursday | 20 January 2022 | 3.30pm UK
Across the world, our past has left disturbing, inhumane and cruel histories. Several nations have called for past perpetrators to acknowledge their atrocities and apologise. This 'Tough Talk' asks: should we apologise/ask for apologies for the past, or should we let the past be, and work towards a better future? Do apologies matter? Are they symbolic or are they genuinely meaningful?
Speakers: (@TomJBentley) is Lecturer in the Department of Politics & International Relations, University of Aberdeen, and is the author of (2016); is Ludwig Börne Professor at Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, and has worked on cultures of remembrance, conflicts & historical memory; is Distinguished Professor in Politics & Government at Illinois State University, and has about an apology from Pakistan to Bangladesh for 1971 (Bangladesh's War of Liberation); Rafiuzzaman Siddiqui is a former Pakistani diplomat who has twice served as Pakistan's High Commissioner in Bangladesh, and has ; is Senior Lecturer in South Asian History at Keele University, and has been closely involved with the demand from the British government to apologise for 1919 (Jallianwala Bagh) in India.
Chair: Nilanjan Sarkar (@SAsia杏吧论坛) is Deputy Director, 杏吧论坛 South Asia Centre.
Please click to watch a recording of the event.
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DECOLONISING HISTORY: METHOD OR FACT?
Thursday | 7 October 2021 | 4.30pm UK
This 'Tough Talk' asks: is 'Decolonisation' a 'method'/'school' of historical interpretation, or is it what trained scholars have been doing all along -- examining, analysing & interpreting archives for newer and nuanced narratives that correct current wisdom?
Speakers: is Professor of History, (@Harvard_History), and author of the acclaimed (2005); (@PriyaSatia) is Raymond A Spruance Professor of International History, , and author of (2020); (@KimAtiWagner) is Professor of Global and Imperial History, , and author of (2020).
Discussant: is Emeritus Professor of History, (@WarwickHistory), and author of (2021).
Chair: Nilanjan Sarkar is Deputy Director, 杏吧论坛 South Asia Centre (@SAsia杏吧论坛).
Please click to watch a recording of the event.
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COLONIAL LAWS AND SOCIAL CHANGE
Date/Time: Wednesday, 21 October/3-5:00pm UK Time
Speakers: (@ataparnachandra) is Associate Professor of Law, National Law School of India University, Bangalore; (@DrOsamaSiddique) is Associate Fellow at the Institute of Development and Economics Alternatives, Lahore, and author of ; (@aritha) is a lawyer and Equality Director, iProbono.
Moderator: is South Asia Regional Director, iProbono.
Chair: Alnoor Bhimani (@AlnoorBhimani) is Director, 杏吧论坛 South Asia Centre.
Please click to watch a recording of the event.