Gallery Talks
Purnima Mehta Bhatt
Her Space, Her Story: Exploring the Stepwells of Gujarat
Purnima Mehta Bhatt has been a Professor of history, anthropology, and interdisciplinary studies at Hood College, USA, since 1977. She completed her BA and MA in Indian history from Delhi University, did post-graduate work at Harvard University, and was awarded her PhD in African history from Howard University.
Dr. Bhatt’s current research interests focus on the historical and contemporary roles of women in Asia and Africa; global perspectives on women, power, and politics; women’s leadership in peace movements; the impact of globalization on women; and more recently, the African presence in India.
Dr. Bhatt is the author of numerous peer reviewed papers and five books: Scholar’s Guide to Washington D.C.: African Studies (published by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Smithsonian Institution); ‘Reminiscences’, Zubaan Publications; ‘Sharadabehn Mehta: Una Mujer Exceptional en al India de su Tiempo’, a translation of the autobiography of an Indian feminist and pioneer in the field of women’s education, 1882-1970. She has also contributed a chapter in ‘Ethno-Ornithology: Birds, Indigenous Peoples, Cultures and Society’, published by Earthscan. Her book titled Her Space, Her Story: Exploring the Stepwells of Gujarat was published by Zubaan in 2014. Her most recent publications include a chapter in a book titled, Womens’ Leadership in Chaotic Environments, published by Springer in December 2016 and a book titled The African Diaspora in India: Assimilation, Cultural Change and Survivals (Routledge), published in October 2017.
