Nikhil Rao

Nikhil Rao
nrao@wellesley.edu
(781) 283-2918
History
B.A., Stanford University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Chicago

Nikhil Rao

Associate Professor of History

Scholar of urban history and urban economic and political development in South Asia.


Prior to joining Wellesley College in 2005, Professor Rao taught at Dartmouth College. His studies at Stanford University and the University of Chicago focused on themes in modern south Asian history (today, the countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka).

His interests include transformations in urban society in 20th century south Asia and his current project investigates the formation of suburbs and suburban communities in late colonial Bombay. He is also interested in the comparative study of cities, in social theory, and in ideas of economic development in 20th century south Asia. At Wellesley his teaching focuses on south Asian history and society, offering courses on the political economy of development, the history of cities, and the formation of ethnic identities

COURSES

HIST266   The Indian Ocean as African, Arab, and South Asian History

HIST270   Colonialism, Nationalism, and Decolonization in South Asia
HIST272   Political Economy of Development in Colonial and Post-Colonial South Asia

HIST273   Food, Sports, and Sex: Body Politics in South Asia

HIST275   The Emergence of Ethnic Identities in Modern South Asia

HIST276   The City in Modern South Asia

HIST367   The Indian Ocean as African, Arab, and South Asian History

HIST383   Seminar: 1947: Partition in History and Memory in South Asia

HIST395   International History Seminar: Modern Imperialisms