Cambridge Prehistory of Partitions

By Uncomfortable Cambridge

Adapted from Dr Erin O’Halloran’s book East of Empire, The Cambridge Prehistory of Partitions is a seven-part audio series exploring how Cambridge was entangled in wider histories

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· History

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FAQs about Cambridge Prehistory of Partitions:

How many episodes does Cambridge Prehistory of Partitions have?

The podcast currently has 3 episodes available.

Cambridge Prehistory of Partitions episodes:

October 02, 2026 Episode 2: Iqbal, Khilafat and the Idea of Pakistan
In Episode 2 of The Cambridge Prehistory of Partitions, Waqas Mirza and historian Erin O’Halloran move from Palestine to British India through the life and political thought of Muhammad Iqbal.
Beginning at Portugal Place in Cambridge, where Iqbal is commemorated as the “Poet-Philosopher of Pakistan”, they explore the Khilafat movement, the changing role of the Muslim League, and debates over Muslim political representation in colonial India.
The episode also asks how the Iqbal remembered in Pakistan today relates to the more complex political world in which he lived: a world of competing ideas about nationalism, Muslim political community, territorial autonomy and transnational solidarity.
The series draws on research developed by Erin O’Halloran for East of Empire: Egypt, India, and the World between the Wars (Stanford University Press, 2025).
Credits
Hosted by Waqas Mirza
Featuring Erin O’Halloran
Co-produced by Olivia Durand and Paula Larsson
Audio editing by Eleanor Murray and Waqas Mirza
Recorded at the Institute of Historical Research, London
Produced by Uncomfortable Cambridge
Music
Excerpt from Maurice Ravel, String Quartet in F major, II. Assez vif – Très rythmé (1903). Public-domain recording.
Further information
Uncomfortable Cambridge: www.uncomfortablecambridge.com
Erin O’Halloran, East of Empire: www.sup.org/books/east-empire
The Cambridge Prehistory of Partitions is produced by Uncomfortable Cambridge. Learn more at www.uncomfortablecambridge.com.
...more
11min
September 17, 2026 Episode 1: Balfour, Montagu and Zionism
In the first episode of The Cambridge Prehistory of Partitions, Waqas Mirza and historian Erin O’Halloran begin with the First World War and the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire.
They trace Britain’s overlapping wartime commitments, the 1917 Balfour Declaration, and the sharply opposing positions of two Trinity College alumni: Arthur Balfour and Edwin Montagu. Their disagreement brings Cambridge into a wider history linking Palestine, British imperial policy and its political repercussions in India, connections that will shape the episodes to come.
The series draws on research developed by Erin O’Halloran for East of Empire: Egypt, India, and the World between the Wars (Stanford University Press, 2025).
Credits
Hosted by Waqas Mirza
Featuring Erin O’Halloran
Co-produced by Olivia Durand and Paula Larsson
Audio editing by Eleanor Murray and Waqas Mirza
Recorded at the Institute of Historical Research, London
Produced by Uncomfortable Cambridge
Music
Excerpt from Maurice Ravel, String Quartet in F major, II. Assez vif – Très rythmé (1903). Public-domain recording.
Further information
Uncomfortable Cambridge: www.uncomfortablecambridge.com
Erin O’Halloran, East of Empire: www.sup.org/books/east-empire
The Cambridge Prehistory of Partitions is produced by Uncomfortable Cambridge. Learn more at www.uncomfortablecambridge.com.
...more
12min
September 17, 2026 Trailer - The Cambridge Prehistory of Partitions
What connects Cambridge to the partitions of India and Palestine?
In The Cambridge Prehistory of Partitions, Dr Waqas Mirza and historian Dr Erin O’Halloran trace the people, institutions and political ideas that connect Cambridge to the intertwined histories of empire, nationalism and partition.
Across seven episodes, the series moves from the First World War and the Balfour Declaration through Indian student politics, Muhammad Iqbal, Gandhi, the emergence of Pakistan, international law, and the legacies of partition today.
Produced by Uncomfortable Cambridge and drawing on research from Erin O’Halloran’s East of Empire: Egypt, India, and the World between the Wars.
Credits
Hosted by Waqas Mirza
Featuring Erin O’Halloran
Co-produced by Olivia Durand and Paula Larsson
Audio editing by Eleanor Murray and Waqas Mirza
Recorded at the Institute of Historical Research, London
Produced by Uncomfortable Cambridge
Music
Excerpt from Maurice Ravel, String Quartet in F major, II. Assez vif – Très rythmé (1903). Public-domain recording.
Further information
Uncomfortable Cambridge: www.uncomfortablecambridge.com
Erin O’Halloran, East of Empire: www.sup.org/books/east-empire
The Cambridge Prehistory of Partitions is produced by Uncomfortable Cambridge. Learn more at www.uncomfortablecambridge.com.
...more
2min

FAQs about Cambridge Prehistory of Partitions:

How many episodes does Cambridge Prehistory of Partitions have?

The podcast currently has 3 episodes available.