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The Wire
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Remembering Jim Masselos, a Historian With a Unique Sensibility
History An urban sociologist reminisces on her 40-year friendship with the Australian who contributed to understanding the urban cultures that organised early and mid-20th century Bombay/Mumbai. Jim Masselos (1940-2025) passed away in a Sydney hospital on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. I knew that the end was near; I had talked to him twice in April and realised that his energy was fading and he was taking longer to converse and yet it is difficult to believe that he is no more. In April, we talked about the terror attack in Pahalgam, the changing geopolitics in the world and US president Donald Trump's attack on academia. He was also sad about what was happening to South Asian scholarship in Australia and yet hopeful that the tide would soon turn as young people realise how important it is to do academic work and research on South Asia. I first met Jim in the early 1980s but knew of him before through a childhood friend Navaz Patuck : the Patuck family home in Pali Hill being an open house to so many passing foreigners who came to Bombay. I distinctly remember our first encounter at Samovar, the iconic restaurant at Jehangir Art Gallery. I was doing a doctorate on Ahmedabad's early history and its textile industry and wanted to discuss the parallel trends between the two cities of Bombay and Ahmedabad, both being framed by this industry. Our conversations soon drifted elsewhere because M.F. Hussain was sitting somewhere nearby (for long Samovar was Hussain's haunt). It allowed Jim to start talking about Bombay's culture and the contribution of the progressive movement in art to its history. Did this happen in Ahmedabad and if not, why not, he asked? Since then, we met almost every time he came to India and our paths criss-crossed either in Mumbai or Delhi and sometimes in Kolkata and Hyderabad. Our meetings increased because by then we had a mutual friend in Alice Thorner, another constant visitor and a lover of the city of Mumbai. Our conversations (sometimes with Alice) always drifted towards comprehending the history of the city, Bombay's cultural scene, its immersion in its version of modernity and its cosmopolitan ambience, together with vigilante politics and unplanned urban growth. What did these trends have to do with post-colonial nationalism, we wondered. High tide at Girgaon Chowpatty in Mumbai, Friday, June 27, 2025. Photo: PTI. Jim arrived in India as part of the Colombo Plan which gave scholarships to those who wanted to study in the newly independent countries of Asia – he was one of the first Australians who took this opportunity, travelled to Bombay and completed a doctorate at Bombay University on nationalist ideas in Bombay. He stayed at the Bombay University's hostel at B. Road, Churchgate and met up with many who were studying at that time in Bombay university. Most of these students became his friends and he kept in touch with them over the next four decades as they traversed their own careers as Bombay's and India's politicians, lawyers and intellectuals – part of the newly mobile group educating themselves under the Nehruvian project of the making of modern India. Over time, I met some of them because Jim had a great gift for keeping relationships and learning the current history of India through their eyes. During his early years in Bombay, Jim would walk around the city and discover its nooks and corners and the various neighbourhood settlements of distinct communities living in the city. As we know, this cultivated gaze impacted his historical work (which he later analysed as the intersections between space, identity and community) and allowed him to give us, the readers an insight into urban neighbourhood cultures. Also read: Remembering Jim Masselos, the Australian Scholar of Bombay's Social History In a recent assessment, Prashant Kidambi (2019) has suggested that Jim's distinctive contribution to Bombay's historiography can be understood at four levels. Not only did he document ways in which urban communities were historically reconstituted in the modern city but emphasised how they used their own tools of modernity to do so. Second, Jim highlighted significance of urban space in understanding the city and third, focused on how diverse forms of power have structured social relations in the city. And finally, he has also been concerned with how one form of power – nationalism – sought to acquire and exercise hegemony in the city, sometimes to its detriment. But Jim, through these travels across the city, also became a collector of old books and that of old and new art as it was being in fashioned in Bombay. He learnt not only to become an archivist but also an art historian and a curator of art exhibitions. In the course of his walks across south Mumbai, he started collecting old books sold on the pavements of Flora Fountain and over time accumulated publications not only of late 19th and early 20th century British and Indian authors but also official government reports on the history of the city and on India. When I visited him in Sydney for the first time in the mid-90s, I realised that he had collected colonial documents which included almost all the Royal Commission Reports published by the British. His home had become a make-shift archive and in case anyone wanted to navigate around the rooms in his house, one had to skip and jump over these piles of books lying on the floor and find a comfortable sofa/chair that was empty of such publications. That being difficult, we would end up sitting in his kitchen or conversing at a southeast Asian restaurant at the corner of the street. (Jim was trying to donate this collection of books to a library in Sydney. However, this seemed to be the wrong time – not only was South Asian history/studies not popular in Australia but with a lack of physical space and ongoing digitalisation, no library-administrator was interested in accepting these late 19th century and early 20th century primary sources on India). But most significantly, what was important was the art he collected as he visited the galleries sponsoring the progressive painters in the city and which he collated as he travelled around the country. He had Catholic tastes and his collection included Kutchi embroidery, pichwai, miniature paintings, a dancing Nataraj and the artwork of the Bombay progressive artist Tyeb Mehta, for example. This artwork was depicted prominently across all the available wall space in his home. Thus, in addition to being an archive, his home had become an art gallery! (Later he also collected some Australian Indigenous paintings and hung them up with the Indian paintings). 'Dancing to the Flute - Music and Dance in Indian Art'. Jim had an exhibition of the art in his collection at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in the mid-90s. The catalogue was called Dancing to the Flute: Music and Dance in the Art of India. (In the last decade, he has donated some of these paintings to the NSW gallery, but these lie in the basement!) During this exhibition, he also organised a seminar on four decades of social science scholarship on India, giving us a lens on how he combined art and social sciences in one persona. It is then that I came to realise that Jim was also an enthusiastic art curator and his understanding of Indian art led him to collaborate with the journal Marg and the noted art historian B. N. Goswamy. In the late 2000s he brought groups of Australians to introduce them to India's art heritage and his understanding of it. For the conference in the mid-1990s, he pushed me to write an essay on M.N. Srinivas's contribution to Indian sociology. This was what started me on my project to study the disciplinary history of sociology in India, which still continues. During this Sydney visit, I also discovered that Jim was a brilliant photographer. I had noticed him taking photographs earlier, but when I saw the photographs on his computer, I realised that he had brought his unique historical sensibility to his photographs. Since then, Jim has brought out two volumes on photographs combining company photographs with his own current ones in a then and now text: Bombay Then and Now and Beato's Delhi (text written with Delhi historian Narayani Gupta). In the early 1990s, Alice brought to me a project to put together a conference on Bombay. The idea, she said, came from Jim who during a breakfast conversation at Delhi's India International Centre, asked how an urban historian should write about contemporary Bombay. This led to the organisation of a conference on Bombay in December 1992 and the publication of two volumes – Bombay: Mosaic of Modern Culture and Bombay: Metaphor of Modern India. Jim wrote a paper for the second volume. But even as we were preparing the two books for publication, we (Alice, Jim and I) knew that Bombay had changed fundamentally after the 1992-93 riots and that we needed to capture the recent changes. With Alice passing away, Jim and I put together a third volume titled Bombay and Mumbai: The City in Transition. Recently, when the published fourth volume reached him, Jim stated that he had not realised that his innocent question of what it means to write on contemporary Bombay as an urban historian would lead to four volumes on the city. Jim's contribution to scholarship was quiet but significant. Never to brag about himself, he was a soft and gentle scholar/person full of generosity for others. After Rachel Dwyer, Prashant Kidambi and Manjiri Kamat put together a Festschrift, a volume on his honour ('Bombay before Mumbai' in 2019) and Robert Aldrich organised a conference around his scholarship in Sydney in February 2020, I saw a satisfied expression on his face and in his body language, a sense of pride and fulfilment that his colleagues had honoured him and acknowledged his contributions. Characteristically, he gave a sheepish smile and silently accepted the accolades that they bestowed upon him. That was Jim. Urban sociologist Sujata Patel retired as Professor of Sociology from the University of Hyderabad in 2018. Patel and Masselos collaborated to edit a volume on Bombay, one of four volumes that Patel has co-edited on the city. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
The Wire
a day ago
- General
- The Wire
Historian Jim Masselos (1939-2025) Wove Mumbai's Stories Into a Tapestry of Empathy and Insight
Jim Masselos (1939-2025), the eminent Australian historian whose life's work illuminated the intricate social and urban history of Bombay (now Mumbai), passed away on June 25, 2025, in Australia, aged 86. A pioneering scholar, Masselos spent over six decades exploring the city's vibrant streets, festivals, and turbulent moments, crafting a legacy that redefined South Asian urban historiography. His empathetic and erudite approach to Bombay's hidden histories – its mohallas, crowd events, and marginalised voices – leaves an enduring mark on academia and the city he loved. Mumbai mourns not just a historian but a friend who saw its soul. From Sydney to Bombay: A scholar's odyssey Born in 1939 in Australia, James Cosmas 'Jim' Masselos graduated with a BA (Hons) from the University of Sydney in 1961. That same year, a Commonwealth Scholarship brought him to the University of Bombay, where he began his lifelong engagement with India. At the Heras Institute of Indian History and Culture, St. Xavier's College, he pursued his Ph.D., completing his thesis: Towards Nationalism: Group Affiliations and the Politics of Public Associations in Nineteenth-Century Western India, in 1964. This work, later published in 1974, laid the foundation for his exploration of group identity and urban dynamics in colonial India. Returning to Australia, Masselos rose to prominence as an Honourary Reader in History at the University of Sydney's School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry from 2001. His contributions were recognised with his election as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (FAHA), cementing his status as a leading voice in South Asian studies. Wandering Bombay: Uncovering a city's soul Masselos' first encounters with Bombay in 1961 were transformative. As he wandered through its bustling bazaars, vibrant neighborhoods, and festival circuits, he saw the city as a living archive of human stories. His essay in Bombay Before Mumbai: Essays in Honour of Jim Masselos (2019) reflects on these early expeditions with fellow students, exploring markets specialising in everything from mattresses to jewelry and observing the distinct character of each locality. These experiences shaped his intellectual framework, leading him to study urban space through the lens of group identity, social behavior, and 'mental maps.' Masselos introduced the concept of 'templates' or 'accustomed space,' describing how Bombay's residents navigated familiar routes at customary times, creating patterns that anchored their sense of belonging. His focus on the everyday lives of subalterns, elites, and migrants brought a fresh perspective to urban history, emphasising the interplay of space, time, and identity. Capturing Bombay's rhythms and riots Masselos was a keen observer of Bombay's crowd events, which he saw as microcosms of its social fabric. He chronicled religious festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Mohurrum, and Holi, as well as secular spectacles such as Yuri Gagarin's visit to Chaupati Beach in the 1960s. These events, he argued, revealed the city's rituals of belonging and civic life. His vivid accounts of the 1969 riots – when protests against politician Morarji Desai led to burning vehicles and barricades – captured the chaos and camaraderie of those turbulent days. Stranded during the unrest, he recalled groups of rioters waving to him, blending menace with fleeting moments of connection. The 1992–1993 communal riots, which scarred Bombay with unprecedented violence, left a deep impression on Masselos. His essays analysed the territorial and communal roots of urban unrest, drawing on both personal experiences and archival records to uncover the dynamics of collective action. These studies offered tools for understanding the politics of urban India, resonating with scholars and policymakers alike. A prolific legacy: Books and Collaborations Masselos' scholarship spanned a rich corpus of works that blended rigorous research with accessible storytelling. His key publications include: Towards Nationalism: Group Affiliations and the Politics of Public Associations in Nineteenth-Century Western India (1974), his Ph.D. thesis, which explored the roots of nationalism in Bombay and Poona. Indian Nationalism: A History, a comprehensive narrative of India's nationalist movement. Beato's Delhi: 1857–1997, co-authored with Narayani Gupta, tracing Delhi's transformation through text and visuals. India: Creating a Modern Nation and Bombay and Mumbai: The City in Transition, co-edited volumes that examined nation-building and urban evolution. Bombay Then, Mumbai Now, a tribute volume featuring 13 essays inspired by his work. Bombay Before Mumbai: Essays in Honour of Jim Masselos (2019), a festschrift edited by Prashant Kidambi, Manjiri Kamat, and Rachel Dwyer, celebrating his contributions through essays on community, space, power, and nationalism. His writings, often published in newspapers as well as academic journals, made Bombay's history accessible to a wide audience. Collaborations like Bombay Meri Jaan with Naresh Fernandes further showcased his ability to bridge scholarly and popular narratives. A photographer, curator and art collector During his stay in Bombay (Mumbai) and travels across India Masselos fell in love with the Indian architecture and painting. Motivated by beauty and delight, he collected paintings from the great Mughal and Rajput traditions as well as Company, folk and vernacular art from across India. Alongside his academic career at the University of Sydney, he made a significant contribution to the scholarship and presentation of Indian art at the New South Wales (NSW) Art Gallery, including his involvement in the exhibitions 'Divine and Courtly Life in Indian Painting' (1991), 'Dancing to the Flute: Music and Dance in Indian Art' (1997), 'Goddess, Divine Energy' (2006), 'Intimate Encounters: Indian Paintings from Australian Collections' (2008) and 'Indian Empire: Multiple Realities' (2010). The New South Wales Art Gallery was honoured to hold the Jim Masselos South Asia Archive, acquired in 2011, as well as more than 280 textiles, paintings, prints and photographs donated between 2001 and 2024. Jim's generous contribution to the Art Gallery's collection of Indian paintings has made it one of the most significant in the country. Honours and global impact Masselos' influence extended far beyond the page. In 2017, the University of Mumbai, in collaboration with the universities of Leicester and SOAS, hosted a conference titled Power, Public Culture and Identities: Towards New Histories of Mumbai to honour his contributions. The event highlighted his global impact, bringing together scholars to explore themes he had pioneered. Bombay Before Mumbai, described as an 'unstinting tribute,' underscored his role as a 'salutation to the people, streets, and archives of the city.' His work inspired a generation of historians to focus on the social history of urban living, amplifying the voices of marginalised communities. His methodological innovations, particularly his use of 'mental maps,' provided a framework for studying cities as dynamic, human-centered spaces. A friend to Mumbai Though based in Sydney for much of his career, Masselos remained deeply connected to Mumbai. He returned often, walking its streets, pouring over colonial records, and engaging with its people. His empathy shone through in his writing, which gave voice to mohalla dwellers, Parsi merchants, and political demonstrators alike. He saw Bombay not just as a subject of study but as a living entity, shaped by its inhabitants' stories. His passing away marks a profound loss for Mumbai and the academic world. At 86, Masselos left behind a legacy that continues to inspire historians, students, and residents. His scholarship, blending transnational perspectives with intimate observations, forged a path for understanding urban India's complexities. A lasting echo in Mumbai's streets Masselos' voice – measured, reflective, and humane – will resonate in the pages of urban history. As Mumbai grows and transforms, his work remains a guide to its past and present, revealing the city's hidden corridors, communal pulse, and social geographies. His legacy endures in the scholars he mentored, the readers he inspired, and the streets he chronicled with such care. Mumbai bids farewell to a true friend, whose words ensured that its stories – ordinary and extraordinary – would never be forgotten. As he once wrote, 'There is so much in Bombay or Mumbai that is worthy of attention.' Through his scholarship, he ensured that attention would endure.
