William 'Vijay' Pinch | Micro-history, Macro-history, and 1857

Why did 1857 happen?  The closer we look, the more we see.  This lecture addresses the problem of scale and distance in historical writing, with a focus on mid nineteenth-century north India.  Of particular interest are events in the cantonment of Meerut in late April and early May of 1857, where the first British blood was spilled in what is often remembered as India's "First War of Independence."

William R. Pinch, Professor of History and Chair of Environmental Studies at Wesleyan University, is the author of Warrior Ascetics and Indian Empires (2006) and Peasants and Monks in British India (1996), in addition to numerous essays, articles, and book chapters.  His current research and writing focuses on problems of scale in history, mid nineteenth-century cantonment life, waterscapes and memory (especially in Mithila), and early Hindi historical poetry.  He also serves as associate editor of History and Theory and as treasurer of the American Institute of Indian Studies.