2023 Exhibition Launch and Conference

The exhibition "Science, Humanism and the Making of Modern India" took place from January 10th to February 10th, 2023, at the Industrial Section of the Indian Museum in Kolkata. The exhibition explored the interdisciplinary debates around genetics, cytology, botany, and eugenics that emerged during this period and their profound impact on the understanding of humanity's role in the natural world.  Organized as part of the "Science and the Colonies: Hidden Networks of Botanical Science, Ecology and Eugenics at the End of Empire" project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the exhibition brought to light the often-overlooked contributions of colonial scientists, including the pioneering Indian woman scientist, E.K. Janaki Ammal. Through an array of previously unpublished photographs and objects from the Botanical Survey of India's collection, visitors gained insight into the cross-fertilization of ideas and the influence of race, gender, and indigenous knowledge on scientific practices of the time. 

To launch the exhibition, a conference, "Science, Humanism and the Making of Modern India," held on January 9th and 10th, 2023, in Kolkata, provided a platform to explore the intellectual ferment of the early 20th century that shaped India and its scientific discourse. The conference aimed to investigate the interdisciplinary debates around genetics, cytology, botany, and eugenics and their influence on understanding humanity's place in the natural world. Additionally, it examined the role of race, gender, and indigenous knowledge in the cross-fertilization of ideas and the subsequent triumph of Western knowledge systems over indigenous knowledge.