Arighna Gupta

Arighna Gupta is a PhD Candidate working on a social, cultural, and legal history of popular sovereignty in early-colonial India. His dissertation titled, “For God, King, and the Country: Sovereignty and the People in Early-Colonial India,” explores how sovereignty was claimed by people at a time when it was undecided in the subcontinent. He argues that the tenuous relationship between sovereignty and the people emerged through inter-regnal conflict, legal culture, religious reform, and colonial representation before being circumscribed by colonial collaborators. Besides historical research and writing, Arighna is also invested in digital humanities, especially around open access of post-colonial archives. He is also a New Books Network podcast host for the South Asia Studies series.

During the fellowship, Gupta intends to write the fifth chapter of his dissertation and prepare one of his chapters towards publication. He will also organize and participate in workshops along with his fellow researchers during the academic year.