Krea University VC Dr Mahesh Rangarajan Gets Recognition From American Historical Association

Chennai: Dr Mahesh Rangarajan, Environmental Historian, Professor of History & Environmental Studies and Vice-Chancellor of Krea University, has been recognised by the AHA (American Historical Association) as the Honorary Foreign Member for a foreign scholar who is distinguished in his or her field and who has ‘notably aided the work of American historians’ for the year 2021. The award will be given out at the AHA’s 135th annual meeting, which will take place in New Orleans from January 6 – 9, 2022.

Dr Rangarajan is the fourth Indian to be chosen to be an Honorary Foreign Member of the American Historical Association. The late Sir Jadunath Sarkar was the first. It is interesting to note that two of the four Indians, Prof. Ramachandra Guha and Dr Rangarajan, are from Krea University.

The AHA offers annual prizes honouring exceptional books, distinguished teaching and mentoring in the classroom, public history, and other historical projects. Since 1896, the Association has conferred over 1,000 awards. This year’s finalists were selected from a field of over 1,400 entries by nearly 150 dedicated prize committee members. The names, publications, and projects of those who received these awards are a catalogue of the best work produced in the historical discipline.

Commenting on the recognition, Dr Mahesh Rangarajan said, "It is a privilege to be an Honorary foreign member of the Association. It is as much an accomplishment as my teachers, students, and co-workers. India is a major site of scholarship on history in general and histories of and about the environment in particular. I hope this gives further fillip to such study and public engagement with knowledge. The central role of universities, in my case, Krea, in fostering a creative environment is vital.

Dr Mahesh Rangarajan is a historian of modern India with a special interest in the environment, nature, and wildlife history. He has a BA (Hons.) History from Hindu College (University of Delhi). He was a Rhodes Scholar in 1986-89. His MA in Modern History was from Balliol College and his doctorate from Nuffield College, both at Oxford University.

Dr Rangarajan has taught at Delhi University and also served as Director of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library and has been Visiting Faculty at the Mario Einaudi Centre for International Studies at Cornell University. He has also been a visitor at the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bengaluru and Jadavpur University. His first book was Fencing the Forest (Oxford University Press, 1996) and the most recent, Nature and Nation (Permanent Black, 2015).

His edited works include The Oxford Anthology of Indian Wildlife (Oxford University Press, 1999) and Environmental Issues in India (Pearson, 2007). He has co-edited many works, including most recently, At Nature’s Edge (Oxford University Press, 2018). He was co-editor of the first three volumes of the Selected Works of C. Rajagopalachari, published by Orient Black Swann. Dr Rangarajan has also served on the editorial teams of two journals, Environment and History and Conservation and Society.