When it comes to colonial rule in India, we think Britain or Portugal—but rarely France. Robert Ivermee’s talk at Sarmaya revealed the darker aspects of French imperialism in our country, especially in former colonies like Pondicherry and Chandernagar. The talk took place on 10 January 2026 at the Sarmaya archive in Fort, Mumbai.
Robert Ivermee is Associate Professor at Sciences Po Grenoble – UGA, a specialist French higher education institute for the study of the social sciences. His research focuses on the ideologies and practices of colonial rule and the colonial impact on the environment. He’s the author of Glorious Failure: The Forgotten History of French Imperialism in India and Hooghly: The Global History of a River, among other publications.
