The Transformation of Modern India

The Transformation of Modern India
On August 15, 1947, at the stroke of the midnight hour, India went from being the largest colony of the British Empire to the world's largest democracy. Today India is a rising superpower with a global diaspora and one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Its astonishingly diverse population, the largest of any country in the world, aligns along the complex and overlapping categories of religion, language, ethnicity, and caste. This presentation traces the remarkable transformations that have occurred in India's politics and society in the eight decades since independence.

A long tradition at the Oswego Heritage House, Chautauqua on First Wednesdays is a free lecture series on a wide variety of historical topics. From discovering the in-depth history of items in our collection to musical performances rife with historical context to author presentations, these historical presentations are engaging, interesting, and spur unique conversations. 

Biography
David Campion is the Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Associate Professor of History at Lewis & Clark College in Portland where he has taught since 2002. He received his BA in history and English from Georgetown University and his MA and PhD in history from the University of Virginia. His research interests include Modern Britain and Ireland, the British Empire, and Modern South Asia. He has published on such topics as colonial policing in India, Irish nationalism, and decolonization in the British Empire. He has lectured and taught courses at universities in the United States, Britain, Ireland, India, Hong Kong, and Macau.

For more information contact Kathryn Sinor at director@oswegoheritage.org or (503) 635-6373

Doors open at 5:00 pm. This event is free and open to the public.