1984 and its afterlife: legacy, narratives, and the making of a community

Taking place on 18th and 19th December 2025 at London Metropolitan University, this symposium explores the long-lasting legacy of 1984 and its role in contemporary narratives about the Indian postcolonial nation and its future, looking specifically at the ways in which narratives of 1984 inform processes of identity and belonging, and inter-community relations. Indeed, as Kaur Chaudhry observes, even though memories of violence have the potential to further divide communities, they can also promote inter-community solidarity, for example when Sikhs extended their support to Muslims in 2002, in light of their shared “gruesome experiences” (i.e. the violence of 1984 and 2002, Chaudhry 2019, xxvii). By analysing the ways in which the events of 1984 have been memorialised, and revisited, in literature, cinema, and other art forms, participants will discuss the significance of memories of 1984 for national and diasporic politics of identity and their impact on inter-community relations, sense of belonging and the relationship between Sikhs and the Indian state.

This symposium is open to all scholars and academics interested in the subject.

Programme:

18th December, Thursday

10:00 – 12:00 Panel 1 : performing arts and cinema

12:00 – 13:30 Lunch break

13:30 – 15:30 Panel 2 Women’s memories

15:30 – 16:00 Coffee break

16:00 – Film screening: 1984, When the Sun Didn't Rise . Q&A with the film director, Teenaa Kaur Pasricha

19th December, Friday

09:30 – 10:45 Keynote by Dr. Ishmeet Kaur Chaudhry & book launch: Remembering the Past: Critical Perspectives on 1984 anti-Sikh Violence.

10:45 – 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 – 12:30 Panel 3 Literature and memory

12:30 – 13:30 Lunch break

13:30 – 14:30 Panel 4 : Literature

14:45 – 15:45 Round table discussion: Memory, arts and 1984

15:45 - 16:00: Closing remarks

This symposium is organised by Global Diversity and Inequality Research Centre, South Asian Studies Research Group and Centre for Life Writing and Oral History (CLiOH) at London Metropolitan University, and co-hosted by the Institute of Asian and Transcultural Studies, Vilnius University.

It is funded by the European Association for South Asian Studies (EASAS).

If you have any questions about this event, please contact:

Dr Clelia Clini at c.clini@londonmet.ac.uk

Dr. Deimantas Valančiūnas at deimantas.valanciunas@fsf.vu.lt

If you buy a ticket but later on find out you can’t attend, please contact organisers and/or release your ticket to allow people in the waiting list to join.

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