New Books Network Namit Arora and Romila Thapar, "Speaking of History: Conversations about India’s Past and Present" (India Allen Lane, 2025)
Jan 22, 2026
Namit Arora, a writer and social critic known for his works on India's history, joins the conversation alongside esteemed historian Romila Thapar. They explore the complexities of being a historian in a politically charged environment, discussing the distortions in public history around topics like caste and religion. Namit emphasizes the need for rigorous academic methods while engaging with the public, highlighting the challenges posed by misinformation in India's historical narrative. Their insights reveal pressing issues in balancing scholarly integrity with societal discourse.
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Historical Method Anchors Scholarship
- Academic historians share a commitment to the historical method that tests sources and revises conclusions with new evidence.
- Namit Arora says this shared method is what makes disagreements productive rather than a crisis for the discipline.
Public History Faces Organized Distortion
- Public-facing history in India is dominated by polarized narratives that oppose established scholarship.
- Namit Arora argues organized Hindutva disinformation, often supported politically, is the main threat to public history.
Bring Scholarship Into The Public Sphere
- Historians should weigh evidence, test interpretations, and be willing to revise conclusions when better evidence appears.
- Namit Arora urges historians to engage publicly through lectures, essays, podcasts, and critiques of popular works.
