Srinath Raghavan
Srinath Raghavan | |
---|---|
Born | 1977 (age 46–47) |
Nationality | Indian |
Occupation(s) | Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research |
Awards | Infosys Prize |
Academic background | |
Education | University of Madras King's College London |
Doctoral advisor | Lawrence Freedman |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Military history and Security studies |
Notable works | War and Peace in Modern India 1971: A Global History India's War: The Making of Modern South Asia The Most Dangerous Place |
Srinath Raghavan is an Indian historian of contemporary history. He is a professor of history and international relations at Ashoka University[1] and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is also a visiting senior research fellow at the India Institute of the King's College London[2] and previously, was a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, specialising in contemporary and historical aspects of India's foreign and security policies.[3]
Raghavan has authored and edited multiple books, which have been subject to critical acclaim. about India's strategic history, and has been a regular commentator on foreign and strategic affairs. He is a recipient of the K. Subrahmanyam Award for Strategic Studies (2011) and the Infosys Prize for Social Sciences (2015).[1][4]
Life
Srinath Raghavan was born in 1977. He studied in Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai, graduating with a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Madras in 1997.[5]
Raghavan joined the Indian Army in 1997 as a commissioned officer in the infantry. He worked for six years in the Rajputana Rifles, serving in Sikkim, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir. He termed his "short service" in the Army as an "extended break", during which he figured out his future direction.[6]
He entered the academia in 2003, studying at King's College London on an Inlaks scholarship. He worked with Lawrence Freedman, Professor of War Studies at King's College, receiving an MA and PhD in War Studies.[2] His Ph.D. dissertation was the basis of his first book, War and Peace in Modern India.[5]
Afterwards, Raghavan worked as a lecturer in
Raghavan is a prolific writer, having published three works on the strategic history of India between 2010 and 2016. He is working on three further books.[6] In 2015, Raghavan was chosen by India's Ministry of Defence to head a team of historians working on the official history of the
Books
War and Peace in Modern India: A Strategic History of the Nehru Years
His first book, it covered the strategic history of Jawaharlal Nehru's premiership and was published as part of The Indian Century Series edited by scholars Ramachandra Guha and Sunil Khilnani. The editors stated in the book's preface that Raghavan has set a "benchmark" for the historical study of the strategic and foreign policy issues of India. He has covered the strategic crises faced by India in the first fifteen years of its independent existence, using a range of sources and analytical depth.[8]
Scholar Kristina Roepstorff, in a book review, agreed that the book successfully illuminates the rationale behind the strategic choices made by Nehru in facing the major dilemmas during his tenure. It offers a "brilliant account" of the events that shaped Nehru's strategic thinking and his approach to crisis management. She assessed the book's original findings are highly relevant to the ongoing crises in the subcontinent. However, while the book contained excellent historical account, she found it to be short on "theoretical reflection". She also noted that the book covered a selection of case studies, mainly dealing with India's princely states and crises with neighbours but omitted the international dimensions further out, such as the crises dealing with
Shashank Joshi called the book a "commanding diplomatic history" of the Nehru years.[10] Odd Arne Westad called it "international history at its very best".[11] Scholar Jivanta Schottli called it "polished historical study",[12] and Rudra Chaudhuri said it should be considered "the single most important text on Indian strategic history".[13] Priya Chacko noted that it is meticulously researched and draws on previously untapped archival sources, such as the private papers of British officials, allowing Raghavan to circumvent the usual limitations of diplomatic history.[14]
Historian Perry Anderson finds that Srinath Raghavan is a firm apologist for India and describes his book as a hymn to Nehru's strategism.[15]
1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh
The book has been subject to positive reception, among critics.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]
India's War: The Making of Modern South Asia, 1939-1945
The book has been subject to positive reception, among critics.[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]
The Most Dangerous Place: A History of the United States in South Asia
The book has been subject to positive reception, among critics.[42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50]
References
- ^ a b "Srinath Raghavan (Faculty Profile)". Ashoka University. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
- ^ a b c "Dr Srinath Raghavan". King's College London. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- ^ a b "Srinath Raghavan". Centre for Policy Research. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
- ^ A conversation with historian Srinath Raghavan, Business Standard, 10 December 2015.
- ^ a b Infosys Laureate 2015: Srinath Raghavan, Permanent Black, 16 November 2015.
- ^ a b c Military intelligence, Business Standard, 17 September 2016.
- ^ The fear of history, The Indian Express, 27 July 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-137-00737-7
- ISBN 978-3-86004-286-1
- ^ Joshi, Shashank (1 May 2012). "A Paradigm Trap". The Caravan.
- ISBN 978-1-137-00737-7
- S2CID 218543142.
- S2CID 154360723.
- S2CID 144338163.
- ISBN 978-1-78168-259-3.
Footnote 46: Even such a staunch apologist for New Delhi as Srinath Raghavan, a former Indian Army officer, author of a book that is a prolonged hymn to Nehru's strategic sagacity
- S2CID 57559829.
- ISSN 0002-8762.
- S2CID 161348197.
- ^ "Newberg on Raghavan, '1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh' | H-Asia | H-Net". networks.h-net.org. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh | By Srinath Raghavan | Pacific Affairs". pacificaffairs.ubc.ca. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ISSN 0008-4107.
- ^ Chandrasekaran, Gayatri (3 October 2013). "Book Review | Bangladesh 1971: An ambiguous war?". Livemint. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ISSN 1479-5914.
- ^ "David Gilmour - The Unexpected Country". Literary Review. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "SEHEPUNKTE - Rezension von: 1971 - Ausgabe 16 (2016), Nr. 7/8". www.sehepunkte.de. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ISSN 1083-074X.
- ISSN 0020-5850.
- S2CID 157361079.
- ^ "India's War by Srinath Ragh: More than a bastion of the British Empire". The Independent. 24 March 2016. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "'India's War', by Srinath Raghavan". www.ft.com. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "Deshpande on Raghavan, 'India's War: World War II and the Making of Modern South Asia' | H-Asia | H-Net". networks.h-net.org. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "John Keay - Bose & Arrows". Literary Review. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "The making of modern India". The Spectator. 26 March 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ Gady, Franz-Stefan. "Making Modern South Asia: India's Role in World War II". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "India's War for the Empire". Economic and Political Weekly. 51 (50): 7–8. 5 June 2015.
- ^ "Review: Chronicling the Birth of India after the Second World War". The Wire. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "A War For the Empire, a Battle Against the Raj". The Indian Express. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- S2CID 164222126.
- S2CID 157966478.
- ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "A new way to look at the US in South Asia". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "Illuminating Past Patterns And Future Challenges". The Book Review. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "The Anatomy of Power". Open The Magazine. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "Subramaniam on Raghavan, 'Fierce Enigmas: A History of the United States in South Asia' | H-Asia | H-Net". networks.h-net.org. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "Review: America's Deep History With South Asia". The Wire. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ Malhotra, Jyoti (10 June 2018). "Never mind the title, 'The Most Dangerous Place' is an absorbing read". ThePrint. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "Terms of Engagement". The Indian Express. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "Not Found | IndiaToday". www.indiatoday.in. Retrieved 6 January 2020.