Kalathmika Natarajan
@kalathmika.bsky.social
Historian of modern South Asia at Exeter. Diplomatic history/IR at the intersections of migration, caste, and indenture.
Pinned
My book Coolie Migrants, Indian Diplomacy is out with @hurstpublishers.bsky.social. It has been shaped by the support of a great community of scholars - grateful for generous endorsements from
@rahulraothariel.bsky.social @katesde.bsky.social @kalramnath.bsky.social
Order here - shorturl.at/55NjW
@rahulraothariel.bsky.social @katesde.bsky.social @kalramnath.bsky.social
Order here - shorturl.at/55NjW
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
The Belonging Project is off to a fantastic start today!
It was wonderful to host Mohsin Alam Bhat, Shardul Gopujkar, and Arushi Gupta, the co-authors of the "Unmaking Citizens: The Architecture of Rights Violations and Exclusion in India’s Citizenship Trials":
www.nls.ac.in/wp-content/u...
It was wonderful to host Mohsin Alam Bhat, Shardul Gopujkar, and Arushi Gupta, the co-authors of the "Unmaking Citizens: The Architecture of Rights Violations and Exclusion in India’s Citizenship Trials":
www.nls.ac.in/wp-content/u...
November 7, 2025 at 4:57 PM
The Belonging Project is off to a fantastic start today!
It was wonderful to host Mohsin Alam Bhat, Shardul Gopujkar, and Arushi Gupta, the co-authors of the "Unmaking Citizens: The Architecture of Rights Violations and Exclusion in India’s Citizenship Trials":
www.nls.ac.in/wp-content/u...
It was wonderful to host Mohsin Alam Bhat, Shardul Gopujkar, and Arushi Gupta, the co-authors of the "Unmaking Citizens: The Architecture of Rights Violations and Exclusion in India’s Citizenship Trials":
www.nls.ac.in/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
Debs. Nehru. Dhoom Machale. I’m in danger of believing good things might be possible again
November 5, 2025 at 4:54 AM
Debs. Nehru. Dhoom Machale. I’m in danger of believing good things might be possible again
My book Coolie Migrants, Indian Diplomacy is out with @hurstpublishers.bsky.social. It has been shaped by the support of a great community of scholars - grateful for generous endorsements from
@rahulraothariel.bsky.social @katesde.bsky.social @kalramnath.bsky.social
Order here - shorturl.at/55NjW
@rahulraothariel.bsky.social @katesde.bsky.social @kalramnath.bsky.social
Order here - shorturl.at/55NjW
November 4, 2025 at 8:14 AM
My book Coolie Migrants, Indian Diplomacy is out with @hurstpublishers.bsky.social. It has been shaped by the support of a great community of scholars - grateful for generous endorsements from
@rahulraothariel.bsky.social @katesde.bsky.social @kalramnath.bsky.social
Order here - shorturl.at/55NjW
@rahulraothariel.bsky.social @katesde.bsky.social @kalramnath.bsky.social
Order here - shorturl.at/55NjW
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
📚 🇮🇳 OUT NOW: Coolie Migrants, Indian Diplomacy: Caste, Class and Indenture Abroad, 1914–67 by @kalathmika.bsky.social
‘Transforms our understanding of diplomatic history.’ @rahulraothariel.bsky.social
25% off w/code COOLIE25 tinyurl.com/59246yu5
‘Transforms our understanding of diplomatic history.’ @rahulraothariel.bsky.social
25% off w/code COOLIE25 tinyurl.com/59246yu5
November 3, 2025 at 4:51 PM
📚 🇮🇳 OUT NOW: Coolie Migrants, Indian Diplomacy: Caste, Class and Indenture Abroad, 1914–67 by @kalathmika.bsky.social
‘Transforms our understanding of diplomatic history.’ @rahulraothariel.bsky.social
25% off w/code COOLIE25 tinyurl.com/59246yu5
‘Transforms our understanding of diplomatic history.’ @rahulraothariel.bsky.social
25% off w/code COOLIE25 tinyurl.com/59246yu5
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
Rathod & Ranganathan: "flooding exacerbates the marginalization that many Dalits already face"
The Caste-Climate-Labor Nexus: Migrant Journeys in India - Fourteen Magazine
Fourteen Magazine is an online thematic bi-annual magazine that platforms anti-caste writing and multimedia work.
www.fourteenmag.com
October 25, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Rathod & Ranganathan: "flooding exacerbates the marginalization that many Dalits already face"
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
I have a new article out.
TLDR: Actively courting deportation by air is a way to claim rights as a stateless person and even as a refugee.
academic.oup.com/past/advance...
TLDR: Actively courting deportation by air is a way to claim rights as a stateless person and even as a refugee.
academic.oup.com/past/advance...
Air Travel, Statelessness, and the Rights Claims of Ugandan Asians, c.1973*
Abstract. In the aftermath of Idi Amin’s expulsion of Uganda’s South Asians in 1972, some of those made technically stateless arrived in India unsupported
academic.oup.com
October 9, 2025 at 6:02 PM
I have a new article out.
TLDR: Actively courting deportation by air is a way to claim rights as a stateless person and even as a refugee.
academic.oup.com/past/advance...
TLDR: Actively courting deportation by air is a way to claim rights as a stateless person and even as a refugee.
academic.oup.com/past/advance...
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
The cover for my book, The Future That Was, is now live! It features the MacArthur genius artist Shahzia Sikander's Infinite Woman (2021), where earth is surrounded by an infinite series of women marching around the globe who, from afar, become rays of the sun ☀️
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
The Future That Was
How Third World women seized the means of knowledge production to fight against rising authoritarianism and imagine a future freer than our present
press.princeton.edu
September 26, 2025 at 12:50 PM
The cover for my book, The Future That Was, is now live! It features the MacArthur genius artist Shahzia Sikander's Infinite Woman (2021), where earth is surrounded by an infinite series of women marching around the globe who, from afar, become rays of the sun ☀️
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
A privilege to work with Vineet Thakur & Pavan Kumar on this first of its kind special issue on Caste in Indian Diplomacy & IR for @haguediplomacyjrnl.bsky.social. Do read, share and cite!
Grateful to the brilliant @deepaknair.bsky.social , @janmdiplo.bsky.social & team at HJD for their support.
Grateful to the brilliant @deepaknair.bsky.social , @janmdiplo.bsky.social & team at HJD for their support.
The Hague Journal of Diplomacy's Special Issue on Caste in Indian Diplomacy & IR is out. Edited by Vineet Thakur, Pavan Kumar & Kalathmika Natarajan @kalathmika.bsky.social @haguediplomacyjrnl.bsky.social
brill.com/view/journal...
brill.com/view/journal...
September 22, 2025 at 11:34 AM
A privilege to work with Vineet Thakur & Pavan Kumar on this first of its kind special issue on Caste in Indian Diplomacy & IR for @haguediplomacyjrnl.bsky.social. Do read, share and cite!
Grateful to the brilliant @deepaknair.bsky.social , @janmdiplo.bsky.social & team at HJD for their support.
Grateful to the brilliant @deepaknair.bsky.social , @janmdiplo.bsky.social & team at HJD for their support.
Glad to share this article co-authored with Medha (SNU) on the widespread, uncritical international usage of the highly derogatory caste slur ‘pariah’. We unpack how caste hierarchies long permeate diplomacy/IR and shape foundational categories like the ‘pariah state’. brill.com/view/journal...
brill.com
September 22, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Glad to share this article co-authored with Medha (SNU) on the widespread, uncritical international usage of the highly derogatory caste slur ‘pariah’. We unpack how caste hierarchies long permeate diplomacy/IR and shape foundational categories like the ‘pariah state’. brill.com/view/journal...
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
A superb special issue on caste and Indian diplomacy. Well done @kalathmika.bsky.social and the other editors! brill.com/view/journal...
brill.com
September 21, 2025 at 6:48 PM
A superb special issue on caste and Indian diplomacy. Well done @kalathmika.bsky.social and the other editors! brill.com/view/journal...
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
So happy to see this excellent Special Issue out in The Hague Journal of Diplomacy @haguediplomacyjrnl.bsky.social on Caste & IR edited by @unileiden.bsky.social colleague Vineet Thakur, Pavan Kumar & @kalathmika.bsky.social after having learned so much from the workshop in Leiden a few years ago
The Hague Journal of Diplomacy's Special Issue on Caste in Indian Diplomacy & IR is out. Edited by Vineet Thakur, Pavan Kumar & Kalathmika Natarajan @kalathmika.bsky.social @haguediplomacyjrnl.bsky.social
brill.com/view/journal...
brill.com/view/journal...
September 18, 2025 at 2:27 PM
So happy to see this excellent Special Issue out in The Hague Journal of Diplomacy @haguediplomacyjrnl.bsky.social on Caste & IR edited by @unileiden.bsky.social colleague Vineet Thakur, Pavan Kumar & @kalathmika.bsky.social after having learned so much from the workshop in Leiden a few years ago
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
The Hague Journal of Diplomacy's Special Issue on Caste in Indian Diplomacy & IR is out. Edited by Vineet Thakur, Pavan Kumar & Kalathmika Natarajan @kalathmika.bsky.social @haguediplomacyjrnl.bsky.social
brill.com/view/journal...
brill.com/view/journal...
September 18, 2025 at 11:36 AM
The Hague Journal of Diplomacy's Special Issue on Caste in Indian Diplomacy & IR is out. Edited by Vineet Thakur, Pavan Kumar & Kalathmika Natarajan @kalathmika.bsky.social @haguediplomacyjrnl.bsky.social
brill.com/view/journal...
brill.com/view/journal...
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
From spy planes to satellites, archaeology has long shared a sky with empire. What does that mean for the knowledge it produces?
Benjamin Thomas White (@btwhite.bsky.social) considers the colonial history of aerial archaeology.
Benjamin Thomas White (@btwhite.bsky.social) considers the colonial history of aerial archaeology.
The Bomber's View of the Past
Discover the influence of Antoine Poidebard on aerial archaeology and his complex role in French colonial history.
www.historyworkshop.org.uk
September 11, 2025 at 10:59 AM
From spy planes to satellites, archaeology has long shared a sky with empire. What does that mean for the knowledge it produces?
Benjamin Thomas White (@btwhite.bsky.social) considers the colonial history of aerial archaeology.
Benjamin Thomas White (@btwhite.bsky.social) considers the colonial history of aerial archaeology.
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
Just a reminder that in the midst of waves of anti-migrant, anti-refugee and anti-asylum-seeker rhetoric and activism, there are also many charities working quietly, stoically and hard to fuel a better conversation and a better future. Actively supporting them makes a difference.
Join the Migration Museum team for a walking tour exploring the incredible stories of the generations of migrants who’ve lived, worked, and shaped the City of London.
🗓️ Sat 13 Sept 2025
🕜 1.30–3pm
📍 Starts behind the Royal Exchange, London EC3V 3LL
🔗 Book now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/migration-...
🗓️ Sat 13 Sept 2025
🕜 1.30–3pm
📍 Starts behind the Royal Exchange, London EC3V 3LL
🔗 Book now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/migration-...
Migration Museum Walking Tour
Discover 2000 years of migration history, following the stories of generations of migrants that have shaped the City of London.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
September 7, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Just a reminder that in the midst of waves of anti-migrant, anti-refugee and anti-asylum-seeker rhetoric and activism, there are also many charities working quietly, stoically and hard to fuel a better conversation and a better future. Actively supporting them makes a difference.
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
Absolutely delighted to have been awarded the Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar medal by the @royalsociety.org for my research on science, race, and empire, including my book Vanished. An enormous thanks to everybody who made this possible, especially the Royal Society.
royalsociety.org/medals-and-p...
royalsociety.org/medals-and-p...
Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Medal and Lecture | Royal Society
This prize lecture is given on a subject relating to the history of science, philosophy of science or the social function of science.
royalsociety.org
August 27, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Absolutely delighted to have been awarded the Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar medal by the @royalsociety.org for my research on science, race, and empire, including my book Vanished. An enormous thanks to everybody who made this possible, especially the Royal Society.
royalsociety.org/medals-and-p...
royalsociety.org/medals-and-p...
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
African prisoners made sound recordings in German camps in WW1: this is what they had to say
theconversation.com/african-pris...
theconversation.com/african-pris...
African prisoners made sound recordings in German camps in WW1: this is what they had to say
African prisoners in German camps were studied by ethnographers, who recorded their voices. What they had to say is poignant and unexpected.
theconversation.com
June 8, 2025 at 5:22 PM
African prisoners made sound recordings in German camps in WW1: this is what they had to say
theconversation.com/african-pris...
theconversation.com/african-pris...
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
Excited to see the website is now live for my forthcoming book, The Future That Was: A History of Third World Feminism Against Authoritarianism (PUP, March 2026)
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
The Future That Was
How Third World women seized the means of knowledge production to fight against rising authoritarianism and imagine a future freer than our present
press.princeton.edu
June 7, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Excited to see the website is now live for my forthcoming book, The Future That Was: A History of Third World Feminism Against Authoritarianism (PUP, March 2026)
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
A. Sivanandan wrote When Memory Dies in his 70s. His memories of experiencing violence as a Tamil in Ceylon shaped the novel and was central to his thought. I wish this would be foregrounded in contemporary analyses of Siva - this is not just background trivia largely forgotten among the aphorisms.
June 2, 2025 at 9:38 PM
A. Sivanandan wrote When Memory Dies in his 70s. His memories of experiencing violence as a Tamil in Ceylon shaped the novel and was central to his thought. I wish this would be foregrounded in contemporary analyses of Siva - this is not just background trivia largely forgotten among the aphorisms.
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
Ki. Rajanarayanan (1923-2021) was South India's most renowned folklorist, recording tales especially from the Karisal Kaadu, the dry black-soil region of Tamil Nadu around Kovilpatti.
In translation by Pritham K. Chakravarthy, with illustrations by Trotsky Marudu
www.blaft.com/products/whe...
In translation by Pritham K. Chakravarthy, with illustrations by Trotsky Marudu
www.blaft.com/products/whe...
May 28, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Ki. Rajanarayanan (1923-2021) was South India's most renowned folklorist, recording tales especially from the Karisal Kaadu, the dry black-soil region of Tamil Nadu around Kovilpatti.
In translation by Pritham K. Chakravarthy, with illustrations by Trotsky Marudu
www.blaft.com/products/whe...
In translation by Pritham K. Chakravarthy, with illustrations by Trotsky Marudu
www.blaft.com/products/whe...
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
This is an amazing scheme! I would love to see more historians applying, as well as anyone in the humanities more broadly. Best of luck if you apply.
If you’re a researcher of Black, Bangladeshi or Pakistani heritage in the UK, our Accelerator Awards might be for you.
This award is designed to support successful career progression in academia. Flexible funding can be used for research or research-adjacent activities.
Learn more and apply ⤵️
This award is designed to support successful career progression in academia. Flexible funding can be used for research or research-adjacent activities.
Learn more and apply ⤵️
Accelerator Awards | Grant funding | Wellcome
Eligibility and applications details for the Wellcome Accelerator Awards, which will support Black, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani researchers in the UK to make successful career transitions.
wellcome.org
May 28, 2025 at 5:05 PM
This is an amazing scheme! I would love to see more historians applying, as well as anyone in the humanities more broadly. Best of luck if you apply.
Roses from the garden, and a reading list for summer, when all the marking and manuscript proofs are done.
May 21, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Roses from the garden, and a reading list for summer, when all the marking and manuscript proofs are done.
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
Please see this @radhistreview.bsky.social call for proposals on Mobility Regimes | Edited by Amy Chazkel, Jecca Namakkal, Evan Taparata, and myself | Deadline June 15, 2025.
New Radical History Review Call for Proposals: *Mobility Regimes* – Abstract proposals due June 15, 2025: www.radicalhistoryreview.org/mobility-reg...
May 19, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Please see this @radhistreview.bsky.social call for proposals on Mobility Regimes | Edited by Amy Chazkel, Jecca Namakkal, Evan Taparata, and myself | Deadline June 15, 2025.
Reposted by Kalathmika Natarajan
In honor of his 100th birthday, sharing the only photo from Malcolm X’s visit to Gaza in 1964. He was welcomed by Gaza’s chief judge and scholar, Muhammad Khulusi Bseiso. When Malcolm X visited Gaza, he wept for the refugees, and as he departed he chanted “we shall return!”
May 19, 2025 at 9:23 PM
In honor of his 100th birthday, sharing the only photo from Malcolm X’s visit to Gaza in 1964. He was welcomed by Gaza’s chief judge and scholar, Muhammad Khulusi Bseiso. When Malcolm X visited Gaza, he wept for the refugees, and as he departed he chanted “we shall return!”
