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
Education
- B.A., Stanford University
- M.A., University of Chicago
- Ph.D., University of Chicago
Current and upcoming courses
In 1947, India was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Since then, these countries have wrestled with issues of governance and development, but colonial rule casts a long shadow over their efforts. This course introduces students to the complex politico-economic landscape of the subcontinent by examining how the idea of development changes in modern South Asian history. How are developmental efforts embedded in contexts of politics, society, and culture? How do political systems affect decisions? This course considers these questions by examining themes such as the colonial state's construction of railway and irrigation networks; Gandhi's critique of industrialization; Nehru's vision of an industrial economy; the challenges posed by Partition and militarization of Pakistan; the Green Revolution; and the onset of economic deregulation.