Film: Earth (1998)

Director: Deepa Mehta

“Earth” is the second part of an “elemental trilogy” including Fire (part I) and Water (part III). The story is set in Lahore in the time period directly before and during the partition of India in 1947. The film casts the partitioning of India as a failure of pluralism that threatens friendships, family units, and the very integrity of its leading characters.

Introduction by Susan Ware, who teaches “World Religions” in the UMass History Department. The spring 2016 offering of this course will culminate in a student trip to India.

Discussion moderated by Priyanka Srivastava, Assistant Professor of History at UMass. She teaches the history of Modern South Asia, focusing specifically on labor, gender, urban histories, and the role of religious difference.

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC