Sumathi Ramaswamy

Sumathi Ramaswamy is a James B. Duke Distinguished Professor and Chair in the Department of History at Duke University, with affiliations in the Arts & Sciences college. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley (1992), and advanced degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (1986), Jawaharlal Nehru University (1982), and the University of Delhi (1980).

• Research Interests: Cultural history of South Asia and the British Empire, visual studies, history of cartography, gender, philanthropy, and postcolonial analysis.
• Key Projects: Tasveerghar (South Asian visual culture archive), Terrestrial Lessons (science education in colonial India), and Strange Kindness? (Tamil philanthropy history).

Recent Publications span 2025–2002, with foci on:

• Gandhi's visual and cultural legacy
• Language devotion in Tamil
• Cartography and nationalism
• Goddess imagery and nationhood
• Philanthropy in education
• Mass reproduction of religious icons

Scientific Awards:

• Hans Rosenhaupt Memorial Book Award (1999)
• Humboldt Foundation Annaliese Maier Research Award (2016)

Students: Mentored Ph.D. candidates including Kena Wani, Kshama Kumar, and Ajay J. Thomas. Grants: Funded by the National Humanities Center (2013-2014) and Ford Foundation (2002-2005). Labs: Co-founded Tasveerghar, a digital network for South Asian popular visual culture.