Stepwell

Express Audio

Join historian and biographer Patrick French on Stepwell, the Ahmedabad University podcast, as he talks to eminent scholars from around the world, covering a broad range of topics and perspectives that challenge and transform conventional views.

11 Episodes

13: 'A Suitable Boy' and other stories, with Mira Nair
7/6/2019
28:54
In the finale of the Stepwell podcast, Patrick French talks to the acclaimed director Mira Nair about why she shifted from documentary film-making to fiction, her adaptation of Vikram Seth's masterpiece 'a Suitable Boy' and whether film-making is a political act.
12: The Evolution of India's Right Wing, with Swapan Dasgupta
6/22/2019
31:34
Author Swapan Dasgupta details the history of the Hindu nationalist movement in India, discusses figureheads like Savarkar and Deendayal Upadhyaya and talks about the current Indian right wing, represented by the BJP government.
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11: The history of the present, with Maya Jasanoff
6/8/2019
35:54
On the latest episode of the Stepwell podcast, Patrick French and renowned Harvard historian Maya Jasanoff explore themes of globalisation, imperialism, identity and how these factors shape the modern world.
10: How Indian Democracy works, with Mukulika Banerjee
5/25/2019
36:50
Patrick French talks to Mukulika Banerjee, the Director of the South Asia Centre at LSE, about why India votes, why the 2019 elections were radically different, how our voting system could be improved, whether India is part of the global trend of rising populist nationalism that can be seen in other liberal democracies, EVMs, electoral bonds and much more.
9: The need for interdisciplinary collaboration, with Simon Goldhill
5/4/2019
33:55
The Professor of Greek Literature and Culture from Cambridge University joins academician Patrick French to discuss how collaborative, interdisciplinary work can solve complex problems.
8: With every breath: Why music matters, with Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan
4/13/2019
24:45
In this episode, Patrick French talks to the wonderful Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan about how their journeys into music started, what they have learnt along the way, their views on current methods of music production and how they honed their craft. Tune in now.
7: Conservatism in India, with Shruti Kapila
3/30/2019
27:39
On this episode of the Stepwell podcast, Patrick French talks to Shruti Kapila, a Historian at Cambridge University, about how Conservatism can be seen as a disposition rather than an ideology. Kapila details how this disposition has influenced politicians in India for eras, from Gandhi and Tilak to present day Congress.
6: Cotton trade and the emergence of capitalism, with Sven Beckert
3/16/2019
39:22
Join the historian and author of "Empire of Cotton" in conversation with Patrick French about how cotton trade, slavery and colonialism played a role in the emergence of capitalism.
5: "Missing" women in Indian Democracy, with Shamika Ravi
3/2/2019
33:28
The Economist and Director of Research at Brookings India talks about economic growth, factors working against getting more women in Parliament and much more.
4: The people who are keeping our planet alive, with Jim Skea and Minal Pathak
2/16/2019
33:34
Can climate change be mitigated? Patrick French talks to climate scientists Jim Skea and Minal Pathak of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change about how they weigh the evidence on global warming.

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Stepwell

Express Audio

11 Episodes

13: 'A Suitable Boy' and other stories, with Mira Nair

12: The Evolution of India's Right Wing, with Swapan Dasgupta

11: The history of the present, with Maya Jasanoff

10: How Indian Democracy works, with Mukulika Banerjee

9: The need for interdisciplinary collaboration, with Simon Goldhill

8: With every breath: Why music matters, with Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan

7: Conservatism in India, with Shruti Kapila

6: Cotton trade and the emergence of capitalism, with Sven Beckert

5: "Missing" women in Indian Democracy, with Shamika Ravi

4: The people who are keeping our planet alive, with Jim Skea and Minal Pathak