02/11/2026
Episode 3 of our new podcast, the Cambridge Prehistory of Partitions, is out now! 🎙
In this week's episode, Waqas and Erin turn to the experiences and political activities of South Asian students at Cambridge in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Beginning with the Cambridge Union and the Cambridge Majlis, they explore how debating societies became spaces for political organisation and anti-colonial thought, and why British authorities grew increasingly concerned about student activism.
Through the story of Jatindra Mohan Sengupta and Nellie Sengupta, the episode also connects Cambridge student life to the wider struggle for Indian independence.
The episode examines Cambridge's complex position within the British Empire: an institution that educated colonial subjects while also providing spaces in which imperial rule could be questioned and challenged.
The series draws on research developed by Erin O'Halloran for East of Empire: Egypt, India, and the World between the Wars (Stanford University Press, 2025).
You can listen to the new episode or catch up on past weeks on Spotify, Apple Music, or anywhere you get your podcasts. Follow the link in our bio to learn more 🔗
