Dr. Meera Ashar

Biography

Associate Professor Meera Ashar is a historian whose research interests lie at the intersection of history, political theory, and literary studies. Her work analyzes the ineffectiveness of existing concepts and modes of representation, setting the stage for a more grounded understanding of the lived experiences of people in South Asia. She has made critical contributions to South Asian studies and has engaged with pressing debates surrounding the enduring effects of colonialism, the postcolonial state, democracy, and nationalism. Meera has published in high-quality journals such as Modern Asian Studies, History Theory, South Asia, and Cultural Dynamics. Her manuscript on the social history of colonial Gujarat examines the region through the lens of the controversial nineteenth-century novel 'Saraswatichandra'. As the Director of ANU’s South Asia Research Institute (SARI), she has previously worked as an Assistant Professor at City University of Hong Kong and has served as the LM Singhvi Fellow at the Centre of South Asian Studies at the University of Cambridge. Meera has also scripted an award-winning documentary film and is proficient in several South Asian and European languages.

Research Interests