OU conference highlights AI in historical research
HYDERABAD: The Department of History at Osmania University’s University College of Arts and Social Sciences (UCA&SS) launched a two-day International Conference on “Emerging Global Trends in Historical Research and Pedagogy: A Transnational Perspective.” Sponsored by RUSA 2.0, the conference aims to change how history is studied, taught, and understood globally. Nawab Najaf Ali Khan, a descendant of the seventh Nizam and founder of Osmania University, H.E.H. Mir Osman Ali Khan, reflected on the founder’s visionary legacy. He emphasized balancing cultural heritage with modern research methods.
In his inaugural address, Senior Prof. Kumar Molugaram, Vice-Chancellor of Osmania University, encouraged historians to move beyond nation-centric narratives. He acknowledged their past importance in nation-building but cautioned that they may now constrain contemporary scholarship.
Prof. Molugaram said that history has changed from just telling events in order to looking more closely and using new ways to study the past. He supported “horizontal thinking,” which means looking at common experiences, exchanges between cultures, and how histories are connected, instead of just focusing on one country at a time.
The Vice-Chancellor acknowledged challenges such as language barriers, limited archival access, and institutional silos, but emphasized that digital tools and artificial intelligence present new opportunities. “Researchers must leverage AI sources and interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance research quality and accessibility,” he said.
In her Keynote Address, Dr. Karuna Dietrich Wielenga supported the Vice-Chancellor’s call to move beyond national frameworks. She noted that although research methodologies have adopted transnational perspectives, pedagogy has not kept pace.
“We cannot continue to teach history the way we did two decades ago. Students must be equipped with digital literacy, linguistic competencies, and the analytical ability to situate local events within global currents,” Dr. Wielenga stated. Her remarks introduced technical sessions on digital archives, oral histories, and comparative methodologies.
Nawab Najaf Ali Khan, a descendant of the seventh Nizam and founder of Osmania University, H.E.H. Mir Osman Ali Khan, attended as Guest of Honour. Looking back on the university’s history, he said that keeping cultural traditions and using new ways to do research can go together.
“Osmania University was founded on a vision of synthesis—between tradition and modernity, between India and the world. This conference is a continuation of that vision,” Nawab Najaf Ali Khan remarked.
Prof. E. Sudha Rani, Guest of Honour, talked about how teaching history has changed with online and distance learning. She encouraged young researchers to link local histories, which are often left out of main stories, with global academic discussions.
“The digital turn is not merely about access to resources; it is about democratizing who gets to write history and from where,” she noted.
Prof. Indira, Head of the Department and Conference Convenor, reaffirmed the department’s commitment to rigorous historical scholarship. Prof. B. Lavanya, Chairperson of the Board of Studies and Co-Convenor, emphasized the shift toward student-centered pedagogy aimed at fostering global awareness.
The conference has brought in guests from Oxford University, University of Rwanda, University of Manchester, University of Göttingen, and several Indian universities. The large turnout at the opening session showed new interest in how history is studied in the future.
The conference will continue tomorrow with sessions on making archives less biased, studying climate history, and using AI to rebuild the past. Organizers expect these talks will lead to suggestions for changing what is taught and for working together between different institutions.
