Srinath Raghavan Explained

Srinath Raghavan
Nationality:Indian
Occupation:Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research
Awards:Infosys Prize
Education:University of Madras
King's College London
Doctoral Advisor:Lawrence Freedman
Discipline:Military history and Security studies
Notable Works:War and Peace in Modern India
1971: A Global History
India's War: The Making of Modern South Asia
The Most Dangerous Place

Srinath Raghavan is an Indian historian of contemporary history. He is a professor of history and international relations at Ashoka University and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is also a visiting senior research fellow at the India Institute of the King's College London[1] and previously was a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, specialising in contemporary and historical aspects of India's foreign and security policies.[2]

Raghavan has authored and edited multiple books, which have been subject to critical acclaim. about India's strategic history, and has been a regular commentator on foreign and strategic affairs. He is a recipient of the K. Subrahmanyam Award for Strategic Studies (2011) and the Infosys Prize for Social Sciences (2015).[3] [4]

Life

Srinath Raghavan was born in 1977. He studied in Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai, graduating with a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Madras in 1997.[5]

Raghavan joined the Indian Army in 1997 as a commissioned officer in the infantry. He worked for six years in the Rajputana Rifles, serving in Sikkim, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir. He termed his "short service" in the Army as an "extended break", during which he figured out his future direction.

He entered the academia in 2003, studying at King's College London on an Inlaks scholarship. He worked with Lawrence Freedman, Professor of War Studies at King's College, receiving an MA and PhD in War Studies.[1] His Ph.D. dissertation was the basis of his first book, War and Peace in Modern India.[5]

Afterwards, Raghavan worked as a lecturer in Defence studies at King's College, teaching there for three years. He currently works at the Carnegie India, a policy think tank in New Delhi.[2] [6]

Raghavan is a prolific writer, having published three works on the strategic history of India between 2010 and 2016. He is working on three further books.[6] In 2015, Raghavan was chosen by India's Ministry of Defence to head a team of historians working on the official history of the Kargil War. The project was to last two years.[7] He has served as a member of the National Security Advisory Board formed by the Indian Prime Minister.[1]

Books

War and Peace in Modern India: A Strategic History of the Nehru Years

His first book, it covered the strategic history of Jawaharlal Nehru's premiership and was published as part of The Indian Century Series edited by scholars Ramachandra Guha and Sunil Khilnani. The editors stated in the book's preface that Raghavan has set a "benchmark" for the historical study of the strategic and foreign policy issues of India. He has covered the strategic crises faced by India in the first fifteen years of its independent existence, using a range of sources and analytical depth.

Scholar Kristina Roepstorff, in a book review, agreed that the book successfully illuminates the rationale behind the strategic choices made by Nehru in facing the major dilemmas during his tenure. It offers a "brilliant account" of the events that shaped Nehru's strategic thinking and his approach to crisis management. She assessed the book's original findings are highly relevant to the ongoing crises in the subcontinent. However, while the book contained excellent historical account, she found it to be short on "theoretical reflection". She also noted that the book covered a selection of case studies, mainly dealing with India's princely states and crises with neighbours but omitted the international dimensions further out, such as the crises dealing with Goa or Congo. She felt that further justification of the selection of cases was necessary to avert selection bias in drawing general conclusions.

Shashank Joshi called the book a "commanding diplomatic history" of the Nehru years.[8] Odd Arne Westad called it "international history at its very best". Scholar Jivanta Schottli called it "polished historical study",[9] and Rudra Chaudhuri said it should be considered "the single most important text on Indian strategic history".[10] Priya Chacko noted that it is meticulously researched and draws on previously untapped archival sources, such as the private papers of British officials, allowing Raghavan to circumvent the usual limitations of diplomatic history.[11]

Historian Perry Anderson finds that Srinath Raghavan is a firm apologist for India and describes his book as a hymn to Nehru's strategism.[12]

1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh

The book has been subject to positive reception, among critics.[13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]

India's War: The Making of Modern South Asia, 1939-1945

The book has been subject to positive reception, among critics.[26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38]

The Most Dangerous Place: A History of the United States in South Asia

The book has been subject to positive reception, among critics.[39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dr Srinath Raghavan. King's College London. 4 December 2017.
  2. Web site: Srinath Raghavan . Centre for Policy Research . 2017-06-27.
  3. Web site: Srinath Raghavan (Faculty Profile) . Ashoka University . 2017-06-27.
  4. http://www.business-standard.com/article/punditry/a-conversation-with-historian-srinath-raghavan-115121000364_1.html A conversation with historian Srinath Raghavan
  5. http://permanent-black.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/infosys-laureate-2015-srinath-raghavan.html Infosys Laureate 2015: Srinath Raghavan
  6. https://www.pressreader.com/india/business-standard/20160917/281857233001862 Military intelligence
  7. http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/the-fear-of-history-kargil-war-conflict-india-pakistan-china-sri-lanka-2937448/ The fear of history
  8. News: Joshi . Shashank . A Paradigm Trap . The Caravan . 1 May 2012.
  9. Schottli . Jivanta . War and Peace in Modern India by Srinath Raghavan (Review) . Contemporary South Asia . September 2011 . 19 . 3 . 344–345 . 10.1080/09584935.2011.594286 . 218543142 . 0958-4935.
  10. Chaudhuri . Rudra . War and Peace in Modern India: A strategic history of the Nehru years by Srinath Raghavan (Review) . Cold War History . October 2014 . 14 . 4 . 705–706 . 10.1080/14682745.2014.955690 . 154360723 . 1468-2745.
  11. Chacko . Priya . Srinath Raghavan, (Ranikhet: Permanent Black), 2010, pp. 359 . The Indian Economic & Social History Review . July 2011 . 48 . 2 . 305–307 . 10.1177/001946461104800211. 144338163 .
  12. Book: The Indian Ideology. Perry Anderson. Verso. 2013. 978-1-78168-259-3. 85. Footnote 46: Even such a staunch apologist for New Delhi as Srinath Raghavan, a former Indian Army officer, author of a book that is a prolonged hymn to Nehru's strategic sagacity.
  13. Ganguly. Sumit. 2016-10-07. 1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh by Srinath Raghavan (review). Journal of Cold War Studies. en. 18. 3. 194–195. 1531-3298. 10.1162/JCWS_r_00660. 57559829.
  14. Iqbal. Iftekhar. 2014-12-01. Srinath Raghavan. 1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh.. The American Historical Review. en. 119. 5. 1661–1662. 10.1093/ahr/119.5.1661. 0002-8762.
  15. Carter. David. 2014-09-02. Srinath Raghavan. 1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh; Gary J. Bass. The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger and a Forgotten Genocide. Asian Affairs. en. 45. 3. 519–521. 10.1080/03068374.2014.954220. 161348197. 0306-8374.
  16. Web site: Newberg on Raghavan, '1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh' H-Asia H-Net. networks.h-net.org. 2020-01-06.
  17. Web site: 1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh By Srinath Raghavan Pacific Affairs. pacificaffairs.ubc.ca. 2020-01-06.
  18. Mathur. Nameeta. 2014-09-22. 1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh. Canadian Journal of History. 49. 2. 335. 0008-4107. 10.3138/cjh.49.2.335.
  19. Web site: Book Review Bangladesh 1971: An ambiguous war?. Chandrasekaran. Gayatri. 2013-10-03. Livemint. en. 2020-01-06.
  20. Mohaiemen. Naeem. January 2016. 1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh. By Srinath Raghavan. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2013. Pp. 368. 10: 0674728645; 13: 978-0674728646. - The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger, and a Forgotten Genocide. By Gary J. Bass. New York: Knopf, 2013. Pp. 528. 10: 0307700208; 13: 978-0307700209.. International Journal of Asian Studies. en. 13. 1. 105–108. 10.1017/S1479591415000303. 1479-5914.
  21. Web site: David Gilmour - The Unexpected Country. Literary Review. en. 2020-01-06.
  22. News: Global politics and the birth of Bangladesh. Joshi. Manoj. 2013-12-09. The Hindu. 2020-01-06. en-IN. 0971-751X.
  23. Unholy Alliances. Mishra. Pankaj. The New Yorker. 2013-09-16. 2020-01-06. en. 0028-792X.
  24. Web site: SEHEPUNKTE - Rezension von: 1971 - Ausgabe 16 (2016), Nr. 7/8. www.sehepunkte.de. 2020-01-06.
  25. Rahman. Mizanur. 2015-01-01. Srinath Raghavan, 1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh. Southeast Review of Asian Studies. 37. 100. 1083-074X.
  26. Kumar. Pavan. 2018-01-01. India's war: the making of modern south Asia 1939–1945. International Affairs. en. 94. 1. 218–219. 10.1093/ia/iix197. 0020-5850. free.
  27. Thakur. Atul K.. 2017-05-04. India's war: the making of modern south Asia (1939–1945). Strategic Analysis. 41. 3. 303–305. 10.1080/09700161.2017.1295608. 157361079. 0970-0161.
  28. Web site: India's War by Srinath Ragh: More than a bastion of the British Empire. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/indias-war-the-making-of-modern-south-asia-1939-1945-by-srinath-raghavan-book-review-a6950401.html . 24 May 2022 . subscription . live. 2016-03-24. The Independent. en. 2020-01-06.
  29. Web site: 'India's War', by Srinath Raghavan. www.ft.com. 2020-01-06.
  30. Web site: Deshpande on Raghavan, 'India's War: World War II and the Making of Modern South Asia' H-Asia H-Net. networks.h-net.org. 2020-01-06.
  31. Web site: John Keay - Bose & Arrows. Literary Review. en. 2020-01-06.
  32. Web site: The making of modern India. 2016-03-26. The Spectator. en-US. 2020-01-06.
  33. Web site: Making Modern South Asia: India's Role in World War II. Gady. Franz-Stefan. thediplomat.com. en-US. 2020-01-06.
  34. 2015-06-05. India's War for the Empire. Economic and Political Weekly. en. 51. 50. 7–8.
  35. Web site: Review: Chronicling the Birth of India after the Second World War. The Wire. 2020-01-06.
  36. Web site: A War For the Empire, a Battle Against the Raj. 2017-11-24. The Indian Express. en-US. 2020-01-06.
  37. Ranjan. Amit. 2016-09-01. Srinath Raghavan. India's War: The Making of Modern South Asia, 1939–1945. Asian Affairs. 47. 3. 500–502. 10.1080/03068374.2016.1225924. 164222126. 0306-8374.
  38. Towle. Philip. 2016-11-01. India's War: The Making of Modern South Asia 1939–1945. The Round Table. 105. 6. 750–752. 10.1080/00358533.2016.1246819. 157966478. 0035-8533.
  39. News: The Most Dangerous Place: A History of the United States in South Asia review: Tangled up in knots. Haidar. Suhasini. 2018-06-30. The Hindu. 2020-01-06. en-IN. 0971-751X.
  40. Web site: A new way to look at the US in South Asia. www.telegraphindia.com. en. 2020-01-06.
  41. Web site: Illuminating Past Patterns And Future Challenges. The Book Review. en-US. 2020-01-06.
  42. Web site: The Anatomy of Power. 2018-06-20. Open The Magazine. en-GB. 2020-01-06.
  43. Web site: Subramaniam on Raghavan, 'Fierce Enigmas: A History of the United States in South Asia' H-Asia H-Net. networks.h-net.org. 2020-01-06.
  44. Web site: Review: America's Deep History With South Asia. The Wire. 2020-01-06.
  45. Web site: Never mind the title, 'The Most Dangerous Place' is an absorbing read. Malhotra. Jyoti. 2018-06-10. ThePrint. en-US. 2020-01-06.
  46. Web site: Terms of Engagement. 2018-06-16. The Indian Express. en-US. 2020-01-06.
  47. Web site: Not Found IndiaToday. www.indiatoday.in. 2020-01-06.

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