Decolonising History

A Tamasha Digital Project for SOAS, supported by Arts Council England

“The discipline of History as we know it today is a product of the age of European empire. This has had profound consequences for our understanding of where ‘history’ happens and who shapes it.”

Dr Eleanor Newbigin, SOAS University of London

For years, students and staff at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) have been active voices in debates about ‘Decolonising History’ – what it means in practice, and if it is even possible.

Inspired in part by SOAS’s own uncomfortable past as a training college for officers of the British Empire, SOAS History department hosted five Tamasha playwrights on an access-all-areas basis.

These five thrilling audio dramas reflect what they found.

Exploring issues from politicised teaching, to the legacy of trauma, to the joys of discovering uncelebrated historical figures, these five plays showcase the power of drama to unpack big ideas in a human and relatable way.

About the audio dramas

A FORM OF COLONISATION by Amy Ng

When SOAS History student Ai Ling Lo fails her latest essay on the last Chinese emperor Pu Yi, she goes to challenge her lecturer about her consistently harsh marking. Little does she realise this will set in motion a chain of events for them both, echoing the relationship between Pu Yi and his Scottish colonial tutor, Reginald Johnstone. A smart and timely examination of the power politics of teacher-student relationships across the centuries.

SCAR TISSUE by Satinder Chohan

When sisters Neeti and Priya travel back to India to scatter their grandmother’s ashes, Neeti takes with her the final recordings their beloved Bibi made on her death bed. Haunted by her past and gripped by strange visitations, Bibi’s voice follows them on their journey, before revealing a devastating secret.

THE MUSUEM by Danusia Samal

Once upon a time, a desperate man accepted an offer he couldn’t refuse for a collection of highly personal community artefacts at risk from war. Years later his daughter, on a scholarship to a London university, seeks out the academic she holds responsible. What lengths is she prepared to go to, to reclaim this lost museum?

THE BIGGER PICTURE by Guleraana Mir

On a cold autumn day, a lone hawk is spotted on SOAS campus, killing and mutilating pigeons. Meanwhile, Saima is struggling to get her lecturer to accept the subject for her dissertation – sixteenth century Indian warrior queen Chand Bibi. How can women take up their rightful place in history when the records of their achievements are so sparse? The answer comes from an unlikely source. Is any of it real, or a product of Saima’s grief-stricken mind?

THE QUESTIONS YOU ASK by Bushra Laskar

As Aisha Saikia waits in hospital for news of her mother, undergoing brain surgery after a debilitating stroke, an old classmate, Sunny, shows up to pay his respects to his old History teacher. But when it turns out that ‘Psycho Saikia’ told the two of them very different stories about a traumatic experience from her past, Aisha is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her mum, and herself.