Scotland and India have a long and chequered history. This year marks the 75th anniversary of Indian independence. This talk will examine Scotland’s imperial past as well as contemporary concerns through the prism of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi never visited Scotland, though he made multiple visits to England and lived in London for a few years. The talk will focus on the legacies of empire in the light of the recent and ongoing - and often acrimonious - debates over the fate of public monuments, through an analysis of the busts and statutes of Gandhi in the UK, and especially the installation of the first full length statute of Gandhi in Ayr during 2019.
Chandrika Kaul is Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews. Her research interests include the British Empire & Decolonisation, the Monarchy, the British Media including the BBC, & modern South Asia. She also contributes regularly on these topics in the media including newspapers and television. Amongst her books are: Reporting the Raj, the British Press and India; Communications, Media and the Imperial Experience: Britain and India in the Twentieth Century; Media and the British Empire; International Communications and Global News Networks; News of the World and the British Press; and, M.K. Gandhi, Media, Politics and Society.
Museums and Galleries Edinburgh work annually with CRER (The Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights) to host and deliver lectures for Black History Month. The Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights works to eliminate racial discrimination and harassment and to promote racial justice across Scotland.
The Tartan Gandhi: Mahatma Gandhi and Scotland