Hello!

Hello, I am Dr. Arunima Datta (Ph.D., FRHistS), a historian, researcher, and teacher of South Asian and British History, focusing on themes of migration, labor, gender, and women's history. Through my work I aim to explore and present a nuanced understanding of everyday experiences of the past. I am passionate about uncovering stories that remain untold, and I strive to inspire my students to do the same. 

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I am currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of History, University of North Texas (UNT). Prior to arriving at UNT I was an Assistant Professor at Idaho State University. 

 

I am the author of the multiple award-winning book Fleeting Agencies: A Social History of Indian Coolie Women in British Malaya (Cambridge University Press, 2021), which received the Whaley Award from the National Women’s Studies Association, the Chaudhuri Award from the Western Association of Women Historians and the Stansky Award from the North American Conference of British Studies. My new book Waiting on Empire: A History of Indian Travelling Ayahs in Britain has just been published by Oxford University Press (2023). My earlier work on the history of traveling ayahs in Britain has also won the Carol Gold Award.

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My works have also appeared in scholarly journals, public history journals and magazines, and on BBC4. 

 

My past and present service roles include: associate editor of Gender & History, Britain and the World, and Associate Review Editor of the American Historical Review.

 

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