Unbounding A Nation: perspectives from the East and the West

A panel with Sneha Roy, Elsie C. Albis and Paula Sledzinska, chaired by Hannah Halliwell. Exploring the need to decolonise national identity and belonging from postcolonial South Asian and Southeast Asian perspectives alongside Scottish and Irish constructions of national identities, this event brings together Eastern and Western conceptualisations of the role of cultural and epistemic borders. Thinking beyond physical boundaries between countries, in what ways do borderlands play a participatory role in enabling nationalism? From cultural modes such as music and theatre, to legacies of colonial negotiations like loyalties and memberships, how do borders shape people and how do people shape borders?

This event is part of the Making A Nation series for 2025-26: https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/news/making-nation-series-2026

This is a free event, which means we overbook to allow for no-shows and to avoid empty seats. While we generally do not have to turn people away, this does mean we cannot guarantee everyone a place. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Accessibility:

This event will take place at IASH, 2 Hope Park Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9NW. Please see a map here: https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/location

The Seminar Room is on the first floor, and unfortunately IASH does not have a lift. If you have mobility issues and would like to discuss access, please contact [email protected] as soon as possible.

The event will also be streamed online via Teams Webinar. To attend virtually, please click here.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities