S5 Ep4: Un-Bordering the Map with Rohini Rai
About this episode
Jerry speaks with Dr. Rohini Rai about her research on the politics of the Eastern Himalayas and the impact of colonial borders on her home region.
In this episode, Jerry speaks with Dr. Rohini Rai, a sociologist of race, ethnicity, and migration, and lecturer at Brunel University in London. She is also the co-founder of the Critical Himalayan Collective, a scholarly, activist network focused on reimagining Eastern Himalayan studies through Indigenous knowledge, art, and critical dialogue. Rohini shares a map from the Royal Geographical Society Collections showing the colonial borders imposed on her home, Sikkim. The ‘Sketch Map of Sikkim and parts of Darjeeling, Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan’ was initially produced to accompany a report of a British surveying expedition in 1884-1886 led by Colonel Tanner. We learn about Rohini’s research on the politics of the Eastern Himalayas and Himalayan diaspora in the UK. We also hear about Rohini's personal history in the region and the inspired projects using embodied practices like dance to reclaim colonised archival materials and remap ancestral lands. From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries. Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a…
More episodes of What's Your Map?
- S5 Ep2: The Beauty of Blue with Richard Pegg
- S5 Ep1: The Explorer from the Home of the Giants with Cecilie Skog
- What's Your Map? returns on March 25 with Season 5!
- S4 Ep6: From Meadow to Metropolis: Mapping a World of Sound with Michaela Vieser
- S4 Ep5: Out of the Cave: Encounters and Anima with Jago Cooper
- S4 Ep4: Smuggling Silk: WWII Escape Maps with Dr. Barbara A. Bond
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