Rama Sundari Mantena

Rama Sundari Mantena is a Professor in the Department of History at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on modern South Asian history, particularly anticolonial nationalism, linguistic nationalism, and the evolution of democracy in colonial and postcolonial contexts. She holds a PhD and teaches courses on Modern India, colonialism, British Empire dynamics, and gender studies in Indian history.

Her work critically examines colonial historiography, the intersection of language and political identity, and the global dimensions of decolonization. Notable contributions include Provincial Democracy (2023), analyzing political imaginaries in Hyderabad, and The Origins of Modern Historiography in India (2012), which challenges Eurocentric frameworks in Indian historical scholarship. She has published widely on topics like vernacular public spheres, princely state governance, and the Telangana movement.

Mantena’s research synthesizes archival sources and interdisciplinary methodologies to highlight how colonial and postcolonial actors shaped South Asia’s political and intellectual landscapes. Her work bridges local Indian histories with broader global historical narratives, particularly in decolonization and empire studies.