Events
Upcoming and past events with Ruby Lal
Upcoming Events
Past Events
Ruby Lal to deliver 2025 Distinguished Faculty Lecture
Who Decides What History Is?
Ruby Lal, professor of South Asian history at Emory College of Arts and Sciences, will present the 2025 John F. Morgan, Sr. Distinguished Faculty Lecture on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
Date: February 4, 2025
5:00 pm
Location:
Convocation Hall, Room 208 - Emory University
505 N Kilgo Circle S
Atlanta, GA 30307
https://news.emory.edu/stories/2024/12/er_ruby_lal_distinguished_faculty_lecture_13-12-2024/story.html
Jaipur Literature Festival Colorado
Ruby Lal in conversation with Reza Aslan
Date: September 14, 2024 - September 14, 2024
3:45 pm - 4:45 pm
Location:
Canyon Theatre
Ring Lake Ranch, Wyoming
Ruby Lal and Molly Crabapple – Creating Art and History: Steps, Digressions, and Allure
Date: August 11, 2024 - August 17, 2024
Pakistan Society
In conversation with Yasmin Khan, Author and Professor, University of Oxford
Date: June 11, 2024
Jaipur Literary Festival London
Ruby Lal in conversation with William Dalrymple: Vagabond Princess The Great Adventures of Gulbadan
Date: June 7, 2024 - June 9, 2024
The Royal Asiatic Society, London
Ruby Lal in conversation with Lipika Pelham: Vagabond Princess The Great Adventures of Gulbadan
Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland – YouTube Channel
Date: June 6, 2024
Invited International Fellow
Date: May 22, 2024 - June 3, 2024
Location:
University of Bonn, Germany
In conversation with Lois Reitzes, Host City Lights, NPR
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and A Cappella Books welcome Emory University professor and acclaimed historian Ruby Lal to discuss her fascinating new book, “Vagabond Princess: The Great Adventures of Gulbadan.” The author will appear in conversation with Lois Reitzes, host of WABE’s “City Lights.”
This event is free and open to the public. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the venue. Masks are optional.
Date: March 14, 2024
7:00 pm
Location:
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library
441 John Lewis Freedom Parkway, NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
Ruby Lal in conversation with Anjali Enjeti: Vagabond Princess The Great Adventures of Gulbadan
Women’s History Month event
Date: March 6, 2024
7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location:
Charis Bookstore
184 S Candler St
Decatur, GA 30030
Women’s History Month kickoff event
Date: March 1, 2024
7:00 pm
Location:
Harvard Bookstore
1256 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138
Vagabond Princess at The Loft
Date: December 22, 2023
7:00 pm
Location:
The Loft
Hotel Studio Estique, Amar Avinash Corporate Plaza, Agarkar Nagar
Pune
The Karwaan Keynote
Date: December 11, 2023
7:00 pm
Location:
The Theatre, India Habitat Centre
Lodhi Road Near Airforce Bal Bharati School, Lodhi Rd, Lodhi Estate
New Delhi
Abidi Memorial Lecture
Date: December 10, 2023
5:00 pm
Location:
Iran House
J6FQ+23P, Tilak Marg, Bhagwan Das Lane, Mandi House
New Delhi
Nur Jahan; the Scheherazade Project, Episode #2 of 101Nights!
Date: July 26, 2020 - July 26, 2020
8:00 pm
Location:
Live Streaming
The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan
Professor Ruby Lal in Conversation with Rana Safvi
Date: June 12, 2020 - June 12, 2020
10:00 am - 11:00 am
The History Women
Candid Talk Episode III
History, with its usual concomitant of kings, forts and battles, has traditionally been seen as a man’s world – and by corollary – the writing of it, as a man’s vocation. In this special episode, we turn the lens to the pre-eminent women whose work on Indian History has given us a fresh perspective, and enabled us to view the past in a new light.
Date: June 4, 2020 - June 4, 2020
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Empress: Nur Jahan, Women and Power with Ruby Lal and Gail O'Neill | Charis Books & More
Join Charis in welcoming historian Ruby Lal and Journalist Gail O’Neill for a virtual conversation in celebration of Ruby Lal’s Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan, now in a new paperback edition!
Date: May 5, 2020 - May 5, 2020
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Location:
Virtual - via Charis Books and Crowdcast
The Forgotten Empress
A dynamic dance drama based on the life of the Mughal Empress Noor Jahan
RUBY LAL, acclaimed historian of India and author of biography Empress: Reign of Nur Jahan will give a pre show talk at both performances, with book sales and signings to follow.
Date: March 5, 2020 - March 7, 2020
7:30 pm
Location:
Z Space
450 Florida Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-626-0453
https://nooranidance.com/the-forgotten-empress
The Annual Conference on British Commonwealth and Postcolonial Studies
Featured Speaker
Date: February 22, 2020
1:45 pm
Location:
DeSoto Hilton
Savannah, GA
The Lunch Colloquium
Nur Jahan, Lady Emperor of India
Date: December 10, 2019
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Location:
130 Luce Center
825 Houston Mill Rd. NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
https://www.emory.edu/emeritus/programs/lunch-colloquium/index.html
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
Excavating The Past: Writing International Histories - Conversation 1004 - REQUIRES TICKET
Between the covers of these writers’ latest histories, you can travel from 1600s Persia, to the Industrial Revolution in the U.K., to the Wild West borderlands between America and Mexico in the 1850s. Join Ruby Lal, Scott Martelle and Priya Satia for a conversation about researching and writing their epic histories.
Date: April 13, 2019
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Location:
University of Southern California
Author Discussion on World History | C-SPAN.org
Distinguished Lecture in Women and Gender Studies
The first annual Distinguished Lecture in Women and Gender Studies, The American University in Beirut.
Isn’t this Representation? The Question of the Archive and the Great Woman Mughal, Nur Jahan.
Date: March 14, 2019
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Location:
The American University
Beirut, Lebanon
Empress: Ruby Lal in Conversation with Jean Said Makdisi
Public Discussion Hosted by American University Beirut, Women & Gender Studies and Aaliya’s Books
Date: March 12, 2019
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Location:
Aaliya's Books
Gouraud
Beirut, Lebanon
https://www.facebook.com/events/2125512547541021/
The Toronto Launch of Empress
Presented by Another Story Bookshop
Featuring a reading by Ruby Lal and conversation with Devyani Saltzman
Date: February 16, 2019
5:00 pm
Location:
Another Story Bookshop
315 Roncesvalles Ave
Toronto, ON M6R 2M6
416-462-1104
https://www.anotherstory.ca/
JAIPUR 2019
Empress: Nur Jahan and the Women of the Mughal Empire
January 25th, 2019
Empress: Nur Jahan and the Women of the Mughal Empire
Ira Mukhoty and Ruby Lal in conversation with Parvati Sharma
‘In 1611, 34-year-old Nur Jahan, daughter of a Persian noble and widow of a subversive official, became the 20th and favourite wife of the Emperor Jahangir who ruled the Mughal Empire. An astute politician as well as a devoted partner, she issued imperial orders and coins of the realm bore her name. When Jahangir was imprisoned by a rebellious nobleman, the Empress led troops into battle and rescued him. The only woman to acquire the stature of empress in her male-dominated world, Nur was also a talented dress designer and innovative architect whose work inspired her stepson’s Taj Mahal. Her confident assertion of talent and power is revelatory and far exceeded the authority of her female contemporaries, including Elizabeth I. In Ruby Lal’s acclaimed biography, she finally receives her due in a deeply researched study. Here Lal discusses Nur Jahan and the other surprisingly powerful women of the Mughal Empire with Ira Mukhoty, author of Daughters of the Sun: Empresses, Queens and Begums of the Mughal Empire, in a discussion chaired by Parvati Sharma, author of the remarkable new biography Jehangir.’
January 25th, 2019
In Defence of History
Dan Jones, Richard Evans, Ruby Lal, Sanjeev Sanyal and Stewart Gordon in conversation with David Olusoga
‘In this session, Sir Richard Evans, formerly Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge University, offers a defence of the importance of his craft. At a time of deep scepticism about our ability to learn anything from the past, Evans shows us why history is both possible and necessary. His demolition of the wilder claims of postmodern historians, who deny the possibility of any realistic grasp of history, is witty and well-balanced. He takes us into the historians’ workshop to show us just how good history gets written and explains the deadly political dangers of losing a historical perspective on the way we live our lives. Evans discusses his craft with historians Dan Jones, Ruby Lal, Sanjeev Sanyal and Stewart Gordon in a conversation moderated by David Olusoga’
January 26th, 2019
Delhi to the Deccan: On the Mughals and the Marathas
Audrey Truschke, Manu Pillai, Parvati Sharma, Rana Safvi and Ruby Lal in conversation with William Dalrymple
‘There has recently a renaissance in the writing of Mughal and Maratha history and a spectacular outpouring of books that have brought early modern India to vivid new life. Five of the most celebrated practitioners talk about their work in conversation with William Dalrymple.’
Date: January 25, 2019 - January 26, 2019
Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan
Penguin invites you to a discussion with Ruby Lal (author of Empress) and William Dalrymple (historian, broadcaster, and critic)
Date: January 14, 2019
6:30 pm
Location:
India International Center
Seminar Hall 1 & 2
New Delhi
Letters and Politics
Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan
A conversation about the Reign of Nur Jahan over the Islamic Mughal Empire in the seventeenth century and the role of women leaders throughout history with guest Ruby Lal.
Date: December 20, 2018
10:00 am
Location:
94.1 KPFA
Zee Jaipur Literature Festival
Details
September 22nd
Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan
Ruby Lal in conversation with William Dalrymple
Four centuries ago, a woman ruled the Mughal Empire. Her multifaceted personality was both celebrated and reviled for her political acumen and diplomatic skill. She led troops, issued imperial orders, and had coins of the realm in her name. Acclaimed historian Ruby Lal, in conversation with William Dalrymple, brings to life the complex personality of a woman ahead of her times.
September 22nd
The Biographer’s Ball
Ruby Lal, Maya Jasanoff, Simon Winchester and Wade Davis in conversation with William Dalrymple
How do you research and write someone else’s life and pin that life to the page? Biographers of figures as diverse as Nur Jehan, Joseph Conrad, George Mallory, Joseph Needham and W.C. Minor discuss techniques and obsessions with William Dalrymple.
Date: September 21, 2018 - September 23, 2018
Location:
Boulder Public Library
1001 Arapahoe Avenue
Boulder, Colorado 80302
https://jaipurliteraturefestival.org/boulder/
Empress Book Discussion
Date: September 18, 2018
4:15 pm
Location:
Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry - Emory University
1635 N Decatur Road
Atlanta, Georgia 30322
Empress Lecture and Book Signing
Date: September 13, 2018
7:00 pm
Location:
Michael C. Carlos Museum - Emory University
571 South Kilgo Circle
Atlanta, Georgia 30322
Decatur Books Festival: Empress Lecture
Date: August 31, 2018 - September 2, 2018
Location:
DeKalb History Center
101 E Court Square
Decatur, Georgia 30030
https://www.decaturbookfestival.com/
The Ring Lake Carillon
Empress Book Discussion (part of residency lectures)
Date: August 12, 2018 - August 18, 2018
Lecture and Book Signing
Q&A with Lois Reitzes, Host, City Lights, 90.1 FM WABE Atlanta
Date: August 2, 2018
7:00 pm
Location:
The Carter Center - Presidential Library and Museum
453 Freedom Parkway
Atlanta, Georgia 30307
An Evening with Ruby Lal
Date: July 18, 2018
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location:
Midtown Scholar Bookstore
1302 North Third Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
https://www.midtownscholar.com/calendar/2018/7/18/an-evening-with-ruby-lal
Asian American Writers’ Workshop
New Books by Asian Writers
Lecture and discussion
Date: July 18, 2018
Location:
Asian American Writers’ Workshop
112 W. 27th St #600
New York, New York 10001
A Conversation on Empress
A Conversation on Empress and Q&A with Sarada Peri, speechwriter and communications strategist, senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama
Date: July 15, 2018
3:00 pm
Location:
Politics and Prose
5015 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008
Conversation with Somini Sengupta
Ruby Lal in conversation with Somini Sengupta, author of THE END OF KARMA
Date: July 12, 2018
7:30 pm
Location:
Prospect Lefferts Gardens
632 Flatbush Avenue (at Fenimore)
Brooklyn, New York 11225
https://www.greenlightbookstore.com/event/ruby-lal-somini-sengupta
City Lights: Ruby Lal’s “Empress”
Hosted by Lois Reizes
Historian Ruby Lal chats about her new book “Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan.”
Date: July 2, 2018
1:01 pm
Location:
FM WABE
Atlanta, Georgia