Eminent historian and writer Romila Thapar has been elected as international member of American Philosophical Society (APS) at its Annual Spring Meeting.
About Romila Thapar
- She is Professor Emerita of history at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi.
- She is renowned for her careful scholarship on emperor Aśoka, epigraphy of Mauryan period, and ground-breaking studies and multiple historiographies surrounding contested Hindu and Muslim history of Somnath.
- She not only embraced contemporary philosophical debates, producing a model of open-minded and inclusive history but also advanced both theory and practice of Indian historiography.
- Dr. Thapar was among 1,013 members elected to APS at its spring 2019 meeting. Her APS citation reads- ‘she is the greatest living historian of India’.
About American Philosophical Society
- It is the oldest learned society in United States (US).
- It was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin (American polymath and one of Founding Fathers of US) for purpose of ‘promoting useful knowledge.’
- It provides a forum for free exchange of ideas while holding conviction that intellectual inquiry and critical thought are inherently in best interest of public.