Global Political Thought Seminar
Date and Time
The Nehru Years: An International History of Indian Non-Alignment
Speaker
- Swapna Kona Nayudu, Principal Research Fellow, Global Asia Initiative at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Discussants
- Erez Manela, Acting Center Director (2025–2026); Director, Graduate Student Programs; Executive Committee; Steering Committee; Faculty Associate. Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History, Department of History, Harvard University.
- Arunabh Ghosh, Faculty Associate. Associate Professor, Department of History, Harvard University.
Contact
Yi Ning Chang
yiningchang@g.harvard.edu
Abstract
Scholars of international relations, political thought, and India's international and diplomatic history are increasingly interested in the relevance of non-alignment in Indian foreign policy. The origins of such policies and debates can be traced back to Nehru's conceptualization of non-alignment at the height of the Cold War. In this deeply researched study of his years as Prime Minister, 1947–64, Swapna Kona Nayudu utilizes archival research in multiple languages to uncover Indian diplomatic influence in four major international events: the Korean War, the Suez Crisis, the Hungarian Revolution, and the Congo Crisis. Through this detailed examination, she explores the contested meaning of non-alignment, a policy almost unique in its ambiguity and its centrality to a nation's political life. The resulting history is a thoughtful critique of India's diplomatic position as the only non-aligned founding member of the UN.
This event is hosted by the Association for Global Political Thought.