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Serena Rattu BA, MA, PhD in progress

Miss Serena Rattu

BA, MA, PhD in progress

Doctoral Student

School of History, Archaeology and Religion

Overview

As a budding historian, my interests lie in Public History and making an accessible platform(s) for people to learn and gain interest in themes that are not widely seen in the public eye.

I discovered my interest in Indian history and its' discussion within the public realm during my Master's in Public History. I decided to create a podcast for my final project, entitled: 'The Power of Paisa' which tackles the question of which historical figure should feature on the rupee?

Since then, my research is extending to various branches of historical and modern day contentions in India and their effect on the public.

Research

One of my first projects, during my Masters, was a podcast entitled 'The Power of Paisa,' where I interviewed historians about which historical figure they thought should be on the rupee (Indian currency).

I also wrote a blog piece for the Royal Historical Society entitled 'Why Public History matters for a multi-ethnic Britain.' I discussed my experiences in the British education system and how it is woefully inadequate in its' presentation of the history of the black, Asian and minority ethnic community.

In the current stage of my PhD, I have travelled to India for cultural and historical research by visiting museums, joining socio-cultural events and speaking to well-known Indian historians. I have also taken to photography as a means to use photos of essential historical locations that can be used as primary sources. Alongside gathering visual sources, I have extensively visited archives in India to gather historical primary sources that are not available/permitted to be shared in the UK. Finally, the trips were completed by interviewing a number of a historians, activists', students ands student representatives.

Biography

Having realised my potential for Public History and teaching and interacting with the public, I decided to take the doctoral path to improve my skills and knowledge. During my MA, I realised it was crucial to gain experience wherever I could. My experience has taken me outside of Asian history and helped me choose, eventually, what I wanted to study in the future.

  • Assistant Editor of the South Asia Research Journal (SAR) (June 2023-onwards)
  • Administrator: Thyssen Lecture, [funded by GHIL, organized by Cardiff University] (April 2021-Oct 2021)
  • Volunteer: Royal Holloway Picture Gallery: (October 2019-May 2020)
  • Researcher: ‘History Bomb’ (March 2019)
  • Front Of House: Benjamin Franklin House (February 2019-October 2019)

 





 

Honours and awards

  • Design History Scholarship (£500)
  • Bill John Scholarship (£800)

 

Professional memberships

  • Assistant Editor for South Asia Research Journal (2023-present)

Academic positions

  • Graduate Tutor (2023-2024)

Speaking engagements

  • Lightening Talks - 13/06/2024

Committees and reviewing

• Postgraduate Executive Committee (2023-2024)

Contact Details

Email RattuSC@cardiff.ac.uk

Campuses John Percival Building, Room Room 2.64, Colum Drive, Cardiff, CF10 3EU

Research themes

Specialisms

  • Asian history
  • Asian cultural studies
  • History of empires, imperialism and colonialism

External profiles