Reform in Translation: the travel of peoples, languages and ideas of selfhood

Translation historian of South Asia, Dr Hephzibah Israel, will present on how ideas on reform underpinned many cultural exchanges between Scotland and British India in the 19th and early 20th centuries. She will link setting up of schools by Scottish educationists in the ‘black towns’ of key Indian cities, such as Bombay and Madras, to ‘re-form’ young natives with the wider circulation of languages, texts and objects through their writings.

Hephzibah Israel is Senior Lecturer in Translation Studies, University of Edinburgh. Her research interests lie in the intersections between translation, religion, literature, history, and postcolonial studies. She authored Religious Transactions in Colonial South India: Language, Translation and the Making of Protestant Identity (2011) and has edited the Routledge Handbook of Translation and Religion (2023). Apart from academic publications, more recently, she has written multilingual poetry in Tamil, Hindi and English on translation, borders and migration which was on display at the Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, June 23-September 30, 2023.

Annually Learning and Programmes in Museums & Galleries Edinburgh works in partnership with CRER (The Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights) to host Edinburgh based lectures to mark Black History Month.

CRER has co-ordinated a uniquely Scottish Black History Month during October since 2001. This encompasses the history of African, Caribbean and Asian people in this country; people who often have a direct link with Scotland through slavery, colonialism and migration. Black History Month focuses on people whose sacrifices, contributions and achievements against a backdrop of racism, inequality and injustice are often forgotten about.

CRER strive to work with a range of partners from across the community, voluntary and public sectors and has helped to collaboratively create a Black History Month Programme that includes an exciting range of events from talks, concerts, workshops, film screenings, exhibitions and more.