What can an anthropologist, a literary scholar, and a sociologist tell us about material culture and technology in India? This panel of three advanced PhD students will discuss how everyday objects like cars, ceramics, or literary texts are not simply markers of culture but determine and shape how we view India’s past and contemporary life in India. Learn how archaeologists and philologists read the remains of ceramic wares, how modern India’s energy needs inform popular culture, and about the fascinating relations people have with their automobiles.

This panel is cosponsored by PATHS (Professional Advancement and Training for Humanities Scholars), an NEH-funded initiative to prepare UChicago Ph.D. students in the humanities for careers that make an impact in the world.