Hated History: Islamic Rule in Early Modern India and the Politics of Rewriting the Past

Much of north and central India was ruled by Muslim kings for the better part of the second millennium CE. Professor Truschke argues that this historical fact increasingly upsets—even embarrasses—many modern Indians, especially Hindu nationalists who seek to rewrite this history and mount increasingly vicious attacks on scholars. She will investigate this assault on history and historians by analyzing key aspects of the Indo-Islamic past and how they have been transformed into politically explosive issues in the present day. 

Professor Audrey Truschke (Rutgers) is the author of Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court and Aurangzeb: The Life and Legacy of India's Most Controversial King.