Staff Profile - Rachel A. Varghese
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Name |
Dr. Rachel A Varghese |
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Designation |
Research Officer |
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Contact Info:
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Ph:0471-2310409(O) |
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Working in KCHR Since |
October 2018 |
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Education Summary |
• PhD Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, 2018 • MA: Mestrado em Arqueologia Pré-História e arte Rupestre (Mestrado Erasmus Mundus “Quaternário e Pré-História”, com o apoio da Comissão Europeia) Instituto Politécnico de Tomar (IPT), Tomar (Portugal); Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Portugal; Università degli Studi di Ferrara (UNIFE), Italy, 2011 • MPhil, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, 2008 • MA in History, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India,2006 • BA in Psychology Union Christian College (Affiliated to the Mahatma Gandhi University), Kerala, India, 2004 • Undergraduate Diploma in Archaeology (add on programme) ,Centre for Cultural and Ecological Studies (CCES),Union Christian College, Kerala (India) , 2002 |
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Professional Experience |
• Working as Research Officer in KCHR since 2018 October • Freelance Research Consultant, Copyeditor and Translator Sahapedia, New Delhi , February - October,2018 • Freelance Copyeditor Oxford University Press, New Delhi, May- October ,2017 • Research Assistant Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR), February - September 2012 • Translator and Interpreter Südwind Agentur, Wien (Austria) , 20- 27 June 2007 |
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Professional Milestones/ Achievements |
• Junior Research Fellowship awarded by the Indian Council for Historical Research, New Delhi for the year 2013-14 • The Erasmus Mundus Scholarship from 2009-2011 for pursuing Erasmus Mundus Masters in Quaternary and Prehistory under the European Commission |
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Academic Activities |
Archaeological Fieldwork Participation • 11 June 2016- 18 June 2016, Trench Assistant at the Archaeological excavations at the Early Historic Site of Ambal, Tamil Nadu, conducted by the Department of Epigraphy and Archaeology, Tamil University, Thanjavur, India. • 11 June 2015- 18 June 2015, Trench Assistant at the Archaeological excavations at the Pre-historic Site of Pillayarpatti, Thanjavur Tamil Nadu, conducted by the Department of Epigraphy and Archaeology, Tamil University, Thanjavur, India • 21 April 2015- 20 May 2015, Trench Supervisor at the Archaeological Excavations at the Late Indus and Medieval site of Bhagatrav, Gujarat conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, India • 26 January 2014- 9 February 2014, Trench Assistant at the Archaeological Excavations at the Indus site of Karanpura, Rajasthan, India conducted by the Excavation Branch, Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi, India • 12 September 2013- 26 September 2013, Trench Assistant with the Archaeological Excavations at the Prehistoric-Medieval site of Vallam, Tamil Nadu, India conducted by the Department of Epigraphy and Archaeology, Tamil University, Thanjavur, India • 31 December 2011- 15 January 2012, Trench Assistant at the excavations at Rohanakhurd, Uttar Pradesh jointly by the Centre for Historical Studies, JNU, New Delhi and the Alighar Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh,India. • 26 June 2011 – 6 August 2011, Participant at the Archaeological Excavations at the Pleistocene site of Pirro Nord, Apricena, Italy conducted by the Dipartimento di Biologia ed Evoluzione, Università degli Studi di Ferrara (UNIFE), Italy • 14th June 2011 – 20th June 2011, Participant at the Archaeological Excavations at the Megalithic site of Delancey park, Guernsey, Curriculum vitae 5 Channel Islands by the Clifton Antiquarian Club, United Kingdom • 1 December 2010 – 7 December 2010, Assisted the Musealisation project of the Archaeology and History Museum of the School of Social Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University,Kerala, India • 26 July 2010 – 9 August 2010, Participant at the Archaeological Fieldwork at the Rock Art Site of Valcamonica, Italy by the Universita Catolica Del Sacro Cuore, Italy • 28 April 2009 – 30 May 2009, Trench Assistant at the Archaeological excavations at the Iron Age (Megalithic) site of Nasranikkunn, Palakkad, Kerala, India by the School of Social Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India • 5 March 2009- 26 March 2009, Trench Supervisor at the Archaeological Excavations at the Early Historic Port Site and Maritime Trade Centre of Pattanam, Kerala by the Kerala Council forHistorical Research (KCHR), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India • 1 August 2008 to 7 September 2008, Participant at the Archaeological Explorations at the Lake Mareotis, Alexandria, Egypt as part of the Lake Mareotis Research Project by the University of Southampton,U.K. • 18 February 2007 - 25 March 2007, Trench Assistant at the Archaeological Excavations at the Early Historic Port site and Maritime Trade Centre of Pattanam, Kerala by the KCHR, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India • 1 February 2007 – 15 February 2007, Participant at the Archaeological Explorations at the Early Historic Habitation Site of Badami, Karnataka undertaken by Hemant Kadambi as part of his doctoral project, University of Michigan, USA • 27 December 2006 - 15 January 2007, Archaeological and Historical Survey as part of the Muziris Heritage Project Workshops and Seminars attended • International Workshop on Indian Ocean Trade and Archaeology of Technology- Early Historic Port Cities: Architectural Features, Construction Techniques and Conservation with Special Reference to Pattanam Jointly organised by the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR), The British Museum and the British Academy at Cherai, Kerala, India from 23-27 November 2015 • National Workshop on Conservation of Marayoor Rock paintings organised by the Department of Archaeology, Government of Kerala from 20-22 March 2015 at Marayoor, Kerala, India • International Workshop on The Archaeology of Technology and Indian Ocean Exchange: Personal Adornment from Pattanam and Beyond organised by the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) in association with the British Museum and the Pondicherry University at Pondicherry, India, from 15-19 August 2013 and 3-7 September 2013 (Field Study) • International Workshop on the Indian Ocean Trade and Archaeology of Technology: Ceramic Workshop jointly organised by the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) and the British Museum from 12-16 September 2012, at Cherai, Kerala, India • Seminar on the CadeiasOperatorias na Ceramica Arqueologica (Operative Chain in Ceramic Archaeology) organised by the Museu de Arte Prè História de Mação, Portugal held from the 9- 11 November 2009 at Mação, Portuga |
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Research Interests |
Public Archaeology | Politics of Archaeology and Heritage | Archaeology and Nationalism | Early History/ Archaeology of Trade and Communication in South India |
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Publications |
Journal Articles 2019: ‘“‘Order’-Ing Excavations: Constitution of Archaeology as Legal Evidence in the Ayodhya Case.” Public Archaeology 17 (2–3): 89–109. 10.1080/14655187.2019.1586059. 2018: ‘What Constitutes Muziris? : Past and the Production of Heritage Destinations in the South Indian State of Kerala’ in Journal of Tourism History 9 (2-3): 178-192. 10.1080/1755182X.2017.1408706. 2017: ‘Archaeology and its Public(s): Thinking through the Archaeology-Public Relationship’ in Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 5: 56‐68. ISSN: 2347 – 5463 Book Chapters 2018: ‘Monuments in Space: Towards Developing a Methodology to Record Spatial Information on Archaeological Sites’in Devadevan, Manu V. (ed.) Clio and Her Descendents: Essays for Kesavan Veluthat. New Delhi: Primus Books. 2017: ‘Past as a Metaphor in the New Utopian Imaginations of Heritage in Kerala.’ In Urban Utopias, edited by Tereza Kuldova and Mathew A. Varghese, 169–87. Palgrave Studies in Urban Anthropology. Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-47623-0_9 2015: ‘Archaeology and the New Imaginations of the Past: Understanding the Muziris Heritage Project’ in Bose, Satheese Chandra and Varughese, Shiju Sam (eds.). Kerala Modernity: Ideas, Spaces and Practices in Transition. Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan. ISBN: 978-81-250-5722-2 Limited Monograph 2012: Interpreting the Ritual Complex of Nasranikunn: A Study of a Megalithic Complex in Central Kerala published as a limited monograph as part of CADERNOS DE QUATERNÁRIO E PRÉHISTÓRIA, SÉRIE ARQUEOLOGIA, Number 12 ISSN 1646-9356 Book Reviews 2019: “Book Review: Rajan Gurukkal and Varier Raghava, History of Kerala: Prehistoric to the Present.” Social Change 49 (3): 561–63. doi.10.1177/0049085719863898 2014: “Book Review: Performing Heritage: Art of Exhibit Walks.” Social Change 44 (1): 174–76. doi. 10.1177/0049085713514835 Conference Proceedings 2015: ‘‘Whose Own Country?’: Thoughts on Heritage as a Touristic Commodity’ in the Seminar Proceedings of the Fourth International Congress of Kerala Studies by the AKG Padhanakendram held on 12 July at Thrissur, Kerala Web Article 2020: ‘ Archaeology in Kerala: A Critical Appraisal.” ALA (അല). February 29. http://ala.keralascholars.org/issues/18/archaeology-in-kerala/ 2018: ‘Digging for a Hindu Nation’ in South Asia@London School of Economics Published on 10 May. http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/southasia/2018/05/10/digging-for-the-hindu-nation/. |