A discussion of Ketaki Pant's new book, Itinerant Belonging: Intimate Histories of Indian Ocean Capitalism (Cambridge University Press, 2025). The author will be joined in conversation by Antoinette Burton (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) and Sunil Amrith (Yale University), moderated by Nayan Shah (USC). Organized in partnership with the Van Hunnick History Department, the Early Modern Studies Institute, and the Center for Feminist Research. Registration is required. REGISTER HERE

About the Book: Along the coast of Gujarat, nineteenth-century merchant houses or havelis still stand in historic cities, connecting ports from Durban to Rangoon. In this ambitious and multifaceted work, Ketaki Pant uses these old spaces as a lens through which to view not only the vibrant stories of their occupants, but also the complex entanglements of Indian Ocean capitalism. These homes reveal new perspectives from colonized communities who were also major merchants, signifying ideas of family, race, gender, and religion, as well as representing ties to land. Employing concepts from feminist studies, colonial studies, and history, Pant argues that havelis provide a model for understanding colonial capitalism in the Indian Ocean as a spatial project. This is a rich exploration of both belonging and unbelonging and the ways they continue to shape individual and social identities today. More

About the Author: Ketaki Pant is Assistant Professor of History at USC. Her research focuses on South Asia and the Indian Ocean from the late eighteenth century to the present day.

Open to attendants outside of USC. An excerpt of the book will be made available to registered attendants. Registration before the event is required. 

This event is part of the Levan Institute for the Humanities' “Book Chats” series, conversations about new books published by USC scholars in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. To see more events in this series, including recordings of past events, visit https://dornsife.usc.edu/levan-institute/book-chats/.