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added basic entry first draft

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[[File:Dr Sushma Jansari.jpg|thumb|Dr Sushma Jansari]]{{Short description|British-Indian historian}}
{{use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox academic
| name = Sushma Jansari
| alma_mater = [[University College London]]
| workplaces = [[The British Museum]]
| occupation = Curator of South Asia
| website = https://sushmajansari.com/
}}
'''Dr Sushma Jansari''' is a British Indian historian specialising in the [[Maurya Empire|Mauryan period]] and collecting histories. She is the Tabor Foundation curator South Asia at the [[British Museum]] and Vice Chair of Trustees of the [[Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Asia |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/our-work/departments/asia |access-date=2023-05-08 |publisher=The British Museum }}<br>- {{Cite web |title=Meet the Roald Dahl Museum board members |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_0W5V-G_Uc |access-date=2023-05-08|website=YouTube }}</ref> Jansari is also the founder and presenter of ''The Wonder House'' [[podcast]] and a former council member and honorary joint-secretary of the [[Royal Numismatic Society]].

==Education==
Jansari studied ancient history at [[University College London]], graduating with a BA in 2005 and MA in 2006. She undertook [[postgraduate research]] at this institution, completing her [[Doctor of Philosophy]] (PhD) degree in 2016 with a thesis titled "From [[Megasthenes]] to Sophytes: A re-examination of literary and numismatic sources for Seleucid-Mauryan relations in British and Indian scholarship".<ref>{{Cite thesis |title=From Megasthenes to Sophytes: a re-examination of literary and numismatic sources for Seleucid-Mauryan relations in British and Indian scholarship |url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1493272/ |publisher=University College London |date=2016-05-28 |degree=Doctoral |first=S. S. |last=Jansari}}</ref>

==Career==
While working on her PhD, Jansari joined the [[British Museum Department of Asia|British Museum's Department of Asia]] and curated the ancient to mediaeval displays in the Sir [[Joseph Hotung]] Gallery for China and South Asia (opened 2017).<ref name=ucl>{{Cite web |publisher=UCL |date=2020-03-26 |title=UCL History speaks to Dr Sushma Jansari, Tabor Foundation Curator at the British Museum |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/history/news/2020/mar/ucl-history-speaks-dr-sushma-jansari-tabor-foundation-curator-british-museum |access-date=2023-05-08}}</ref> In 2018, she was appointed Tabor Foundation curator of South Asia, becoming the first person of Indian origin to hold a permanent role curating the South Asian collections.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Maria |date=2018-11-30 |title=British museums are full of Indian history. Now, they’re finally getting Indian-origin curators |url=https://qz.com/india/1477396/british-museums-sushma-jansari-on-indians-in-the-arts |access-date=2023-05-08 |website=Quartz }}</ref>

Jansari was lead curator (2016-2022) for the [[Manchester Museum]] South Asia Gallery, a British Museum Partnership which opened in 2023. She was the first Indian origin woman to join the [[Royal Numismatic Society]] Council (2012-2018) and hold the post of honorary joint-secretary. She introduced annual student and early career scholar lectures to the society.{{citation needed|date= May 2023}}

As a curator of Gujarati origin, Jansari was featured in the Roots and Changes - Gujarati Influences exhibition at Brent Museum and Archives in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roots and Changes – Gujarati Influences |url=https://www.brent.gov.uk/libraries-arts-and-heritage/brent-museum-and-archives/previous-exhibitions/previous-exhibitions-events-and-projects/roots-and-changes-gujarati-influences |publisher=Brent Council}}</ref> Her book, ''Chandragupta Maurya: The Creation of a National Hero in India'', was published by UCL Press in June 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sushma Jansari |url=https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/210559 |access-date=2023-05-10 |publisher=UCL Press }}</ref> The exhibition ''[https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/ancient-india-living-traditions Ancient India: living traditions]'' by Jansari, about art and religion in ancient South Asia, at [[The British Museum]] opened in May 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jaipur Literature Festival 2024 |url=https://jaipurliteraturefestival.org/speaker/sushma-jansari}}</ref> The exhibition book also titled ''[https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ancient-India-traditions-Sushma-Jansari/dp/0714124990/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vMu77zKKGahEvX8Y7clomDA0bT_QuU71WXcO-Ok6W7xQE01fywTqjXzfX_DSf7yorZAgP2CkIJMNH0QkwyMeFzyBDHOXzxywumgjyChTMXIaGRzOXeIz8WPvXkyiUMEWi6g1qfzBRGeufjMogHwx Ancient India: living traditions]'' was also released in May 2025 and is the first [[British Museum]] publication to be entirely vegan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Oxford Blue 2025 |url=https://theoxfordblue.co.uk/ancient-india-living-traditions-interview/}}</ref> The exhibition has received positive reviews.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guardian 2025 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/may/19/ancient-india-review-british-museum-london}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Guardian 2025 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/may/15/british-museums-ancient-indian-religions-mumbai}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Observer 2025 |url=https://observer.co.uk/culture/art/article/the-elephant-in-the-room-indias-cultural-influence-takes-centre-stage}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Standard 2025 |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/exhibitions/ancient-india-living-traditions-british-museum-review-b1229125.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Times 2025 |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/art/article/ancient-india-living-traditions-review-british-museum-26vf2zbj9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Eastern Eye 2025 |url=https://www.easterneye.biz/british-museum-ancient-india-exhibition/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Eastern Eye 2025 |url=https://www.easterneye.biz/british-museum-asian-faiths-uk/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Asian Voice 2025 |url=https://www.asian-voice.com/Culture/Art/Visiting-%E2%80%98Ancient-India-Living-Traditions%E2%80%99/}}</ref>

==Podcaster==
In 2019, Jansari launched ''The Wonder House'' podcast.<ref name=ucl/> She founded, presents and produces this show.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Wonder House |url=https://thewonderhouse.co.uk/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |website=The Wonder House }}</ref>

==Select publications==
*{{cite journal |author=Jansari, S. |date=2012 |title=Roman Coins from the Mackenzie Collection at the British Museum |journal=Numismatic Chronicle |volume=172 |pages=93–104}}
*{{cite journal |author=Jansari, S. |date=2012 |title=Roman Coins from the Masson and Mackenzie Collections in the British Museum |journal=South Asian Studies |volume=29 |number=2 |pages=177–193}}
*{{cite book |author1=Jansari, S |author2=Ricot R.|date=2016 |chapter=Megasthenes and the Astomoi: a case study into ethnography and paradoxography |editor1=Brinkhaus H. |editor2=Wieshöfer, J. |title=Megasthenes und seine Zeit/Megasthenes and his Time |publisher=Harrassowitz |location=Wiesebaden |pages=85–96}}
*{{cite journal |author=Jansari, S. |date=2019 |title=The Sophytes coins: from the Punjab to Bactria and back again |journal=Numismatic Chronicle |volume=178 |pages=1–99}}
*{{cite journal |author=Jansari, S. |date=2019 |title=From Geography to Paradoxography: the use, transmission and survival of Megasthenes Indica |journal=Journal of Ancient History |volume=8 |number=1 |pages=26–49}}
*{{cite book |author=Jansari, S. |date=2019 |chapter=Colonial Collecting in Ceylon: Dispersing the Hugh Nevill Collections across the British Isles |editor1=Peyton, A.B. |editor2=Paul, K.A. |title=Arts of South Asia: Cultures of Collecting |publisher=University of Florida Press |pages=63–94 |isbn=9781683400479}}
*{{cite book |author=Jansari, S. |date=2020 |chapter=South Asia |editor=Mairs, R. |title=The Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek World |publisher=Routledge |pages=38–55 |isbn=9781138090699}}
*{{cite book |author=Jansari, S. |date=2020 |chapter=Two sides of the coin: from Sophytes to Skanda-Kārttikeya |editor=Mairs, R. |title=The Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek World |publisher=Routledge |pages=487–498 |isbn=9781138090699}}
*{{cite book |author1=Argounova-Low, T. |author2=Brown, A. |author3=Jansari, S. |date=2020 |title=Model of a Summer Camp |publisher=British Museum Press |location=London |isbn=0714124885}}
*{{cite book |author=Jansari, S. |date=2020 |chapter=Buildings with a Message – Experimenting with a Rich Mosaic of Objects and Voices |title=RETHINK Design Guide: Architecture for a post-pandemic world |publisher=RIBA Publishing |location=London |pages=66–69 |isbn=9781859469804}}
*{{cite book |author=Jansari, S. |date=2023 |title=Chandragupta Maurya: The creation of a national hero in India |publisher=UCL Press |location=London |isbn=9781800083905}}
*{{cite book |author=Jansari, S. and Muthukumaran, S.|date=2025 |title=Ancient India: living traditions |publisher=British Museum Press |location=London |isbn=978-0714124995}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZMqY3d-dQA The oldest dateable depiction of the Buddha in human form, British Museum Curator's Corner Season 4, Episode 6.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPtDEaMgg6w Dr Sushma Jansari talks about Challenging Stereotypes of Difference at TEDx.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNQgzfq9G5M Audio described tour of the South Asia section of the Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery for China and South Asia, led by Dr Sushma Jansari and Di Langford.]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jansari, Sushma}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Employees of the British Museum]]
[[Category:Alumni of University College London]]
[[Category:Historians of South Asia]]
[[Category:Historians of India]]
[[Category:British women historians]]
[[Category:British women curators]]
[[Category:British art curators]]
[[Category:British numismatists]]
[[Category:Women numismatists]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London]]

Sushma Jansari - Revision history

Snehasis: added basic entry first draft