Sudha Tiwari

Dr. Sudha Tiwari is one of the founding faculty members of the School of Liberal Studies and Media, UPES. She is an expert on the history of contemporary India/South Asia, with a special focus on Partition, culture, cinema, institutional history, and policy. Her book, The State and New Cinema in Contemporary India, 1960–1997, was published by Routledge UK in 2024, marking a significant contribution to the field. She has published her research in journals of repute at the national and international level, and has also presented in global conferences. Sudha earned her PhD in 2021 from the Centre for Historical Studies, JNU, New Delhi.

Sudha has been with UPES since July 2021. Before joining UPES, she worked at Department of History, Ashoka University, as a teaching fellow. She also taught in various colleges at the undergraduate level in Mumbai for more than six years between 2005 and 2013. At SOLSM, Sudha is the Programme Lead (PL) for History, and Research Coordinator for Media cluster. She also facilitates the student-led SOLSM film club, Drishtikon.

Contemporary India | Partition | Institutions | Culture

Sudha is a trained historian, with a teaching interest in history of modern and contemporary India. Her research interests especially focus on Partition, history of institutions, cinema and culture, and cultural policies. She has written on the Partition of India as depicted in literature, history and historians in India, cinema and Emergency, NFDC and film history, Gandhi and Indian cinema, etc.

In the study of Indian history, or history in general, the student and the instructor need to engage in continuous dialogue with the present times. Sudha’s primary role, therefore, has been to enable students to understand the importance of studying history, first, and second, to critically examine historical situations, and then analyse the relationship between past and present times. To achieve this objective, it is important to first start with lecturing method. Here, lecturing is not a one-way communication; it is combined with readings given in advance, audio-visual aids used during the lecture sessions, and discussion between the teacher and students, and among students in the class. While preparing the lecture classes, emphasis is placed on the methodology and historiography of the concerned topic being taught. Hand-outs containing supporting readings, a poem, a cartoon, etc. are circulated. All efforts are made to have an objective, immersive, interdisciplinary approach toward knowing history and our modern past. Students are also encouraged to demonstrate their skills through short response papers, in-class and home assignments, and semester-long continuous projects. Dr. Sudha actively updates her teaching material, by reading recent publications, attending talks, and discussing teaching strategies with her fellow colleagues. As a historian, her effort is to encourage students to empathize with cultures and histories different than theirs, and also to prepare them to deal with their everyday life with more criticality, civility and understanding.

Before joining a full-time PhD at Centre for Historical Studies, JNU, Sudha taught for more than six years, at the undergraduate level in various colleges in Mumbai. The courses she taught range from the history of India, from ancient to contemporary times, Indian Civilizations, Makers of Modern India, world history, history of Europe and the Middle East, contemporary world, history of press, TV & Radio, journalism, mass media courses, Human Rights, etc. At UPES, she has been associated with courses on ethical leadership, and critical thinking. At SOLSM, she offers courses on the Partition of India, the history of contemporary India, Indian cinema, Institutions of Culture and Making of Modern India, Ideas of India, etc. enriching the academic experience with her diverse teaching portfolio and research-driven insights.

As a Graduate student in JNU, Sudha received the Fox International Fellowship, to spend a year at Yale University (2016-17). She was a recipient of the prestigious Indian Council of Historical Research JRF (2015-16 & 2017-18). Her Ph.D. thesis was shortlisted for the Sharda Prize for Best Thesis in 2022-23.

Dr. Sudha Tiwari was invited by IIT Bombay for a book talk, and by IIT Jodhpur (both in 2024) to deliver an online lecture for its Film Studies students. Furthering her scholarly contributions, Dr. Sudha served as a reviewer for Bloomsbury, a leading publishing house, evaluating a book proposal in 2024. She has already received another proposal for review this year. As a resource person, Dr. Sudha contributed to a Media cluster (SOLSM) workshop on films shot using iPhones and their role in the MAMI Film Festival. This half-day workshop brought together faculty and students, fostering discussions on the democratization of filmmaking through accessible technologies. Continuing her collaborative projects, she participated as a panellist for The Courtesan Project: Interaction with Manjari Chaturvedi, an event organized by the Media cluster. Dr. Sudha also co-hosted a two-day event that included a film screening, Masterclass, and Workshop in collaboration with Raju Roychowdhury (SoAE) and the Media cluster. This event featured celebrated Australian experimental filmmakers Richard Tuohy and Dianna Barrie. Additionally, she contributed to UPES's Learning Lab initiative by writing and shooting a video on Villains in Indian Cinema, which was released recently.

sudha.tiwari@ddn.upes.ac.in