She won awards for her books The Ghostly Past, the Presence of Capitalism: A Social History of Colonial Fear in Bengalpublished in August 2024.
Purdue University history professor Tithi Bhattacharya has formally declined the Modern Language Association’s Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for South Asian Studies in protest of the MLA’s decision regarding Israel’s attack on Gaza.
“This decision does not reflect the rigorous work of the committee or the value of the award itself, but rather the stance taken in light of the Modern Language Association’s institutional silence and policy decisions regarding the ongoing genocide in Palestine, including the egregious suppression by MLA leadership of the right to vote on behalf of the General Assembly on proposed resolutions to boycott, sanction, and divest from Israel,” Bhattacharya wrote in a blog post about her decision on Wednesday.
She wins 2025 award for her book The Ghostly Past, the Presence of Capitalism: A Social History of Colonial Fear in Bengalpublished in August 2024.
“I also hope that, by saying no, I can contribute to urgent conversations about the moral responsibilities of professional academic organizations in the face of colonialism, brutal state violence, and genocide,” Bhattacharya wrote. “My book about how colonial capitalism does not spare even its ghost was endorsed by my generous colleagues on the committee. In the face of such forces, I remain convinced that our weapon remains solidarity.”
