From Scholars to Spies: How WWII Intelligence Shaped South Asian Studies

The origins of South Asian studies as an academic field are deeply intertwined with World War II intelligence efforts. In The Idea of South Asia, Nicholas Dirks recounts how the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) enlisted scholars to provide cultural, historical, and political insights crucial for wartime strategy.

This collaboration brought together historians, anthropologists, linguists, and political scientists in unprecedented ways, fostering interdisciplinary approaches that would later define area studies programs. The urgency of wartime intelligence shaped research priorities and institutional structures.

However, the postwar transition from OSS to the CIA introduced increased secrecy and political oversight, curtailing academic freedoms and complicating relationships between scholars and intelligence agencies. These changes affected how knowledge about South Asia was produced, shared, and institutionalized.

Dirks’ analysis highlights the ethical and intellectual tensions inherent in this history, raising questions about the role of scholarship in service of state power. It also underscores the lasting influence of these origins on contemporary academic disciplines.

For anyone interested in the history of knowledge production and the politics of academia, this book offers a compelling and critical perspective.

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