Call for Papers: Research Expeditions to India and the Indian Ocean in Early Modern and Modern Times

Call for Papers for the virtual workshop, on 3-4 November 2022 in the German Maritime Museum / Leibniz Institute for Maritime History

Throughout the early modern and modern periods, many naturalists and scholars set themselves the task of exploring the Indian Ocean World. Many of these expeditions studied the culture, weather, landscape, flora, and fauna of the subcontinent, while others focused on the Indian Ocean, the air and water temperatures, the currents, the life that lay beneath the surface, and quantitative measurements such as the depth of the seafloor. These expeditions impacted global science and knowledge production. We aim to explore different research expeditions to and within India and the Indian Ocean World that took place over the past 500 years. These can include (but are not limited to) British, Danish, Dutch, French, German, and Portuguese expeditions to this region. We welcome interdisciplinary approaches, for instance, from the fields of history, environmental history, climate history, geography, economics, cultural studies, postcolonial studies, or global history.

Associate Professor Ruth Morgan (Australian National University, Canberra) will give the keynote on environmental exchanges between British India and the Australian colonies.

This workshop, “Research Expeditions to India and the Indian Ocean in Early Modern and Modern Times,” is organized by Dr. Katrin Kleemann and Dr. Pankoj Sarkar (German Maritime Museum – Leibniz Institute for Maritime History, Bremerhaven, Germany). Over two days, on Thursday, 3 November, and Friday, 4 November 2022,itwill bring together doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars with an interest in research expeditions to India and the Indian Ocean, and will take place on Zoom. This workshop is a forum for scholars to present their work and exchange ideas. Due to the time difference between Australia, India, and Europe, it will take place in the morning (Central European Time). Each participant will give a short talk of 15 minutes. These short presentations will allow us enough time for discussion.

This workshop will take place in English and is free of charge. To apply, please send an abstract (ca. 400 words) and a CV (all in one PDF file) to Dr. Katrin Kleemann, k.kleemann@dsm.museum, by 15 September 2022. We will let you know about our decision by the end of September.