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Broadly the impact of the research discussed is that of the provision of knowledge of `hidden histories' that illuminate the contribution of specific groups towards `cultural citizenship'. Research examined how newspapers in British and French India acted as a public voice for mass protest by ordinary people. Impact activities relate to the Indian project (2009-11) that extended awareness of the sub-continent's contribution towards gendered empowerment to a new audience. An invitation to disseminate this research came from Macquarie University Art Gallery in Australia (2011/12) as part of their public exhibition `India — Past Present and Abroad' which contributed towards an increasing awareness of Indians' national heritage during a sensitive period in Australian multi-cultural politics.
The research, on early 18th century South India through the writings of German missionary scholars, has expanded knowledge of the Tamil people, languages and cultures; identified more than 160 Tamil and Telugu texts engraved on palm leaves; and recovered numerous paper manuscripts that were considered lost. The work on manuscript recovery has contributed to the professional practice and discourse of professional archivists and librarians and, through examining these manuscripts in Tamil, German, Latin, Portuguese, and English, a new picture about the Tamil emerges. This has important implications for Tamil cultural identity, heritage and pride, currently a matter of social and political emphasis in the Indian public sphere. It also contributes to government initiatives for the revival and celebration of the Tamil language.
The key impact in India of the work conducted by Prof C A Bayly and Dr S Kapila has been to reposition the history of ideas as a crucial tool for understanding contemporary politics. For two generations, the study of Indian politics has been dominated by economistic and interest-based models and, more recently, by a notion of political `culture' that has tended to drive ideas out. Bayly and Kapila have made common cause against this approach. The most visible public manifestation of their impact was a public meeting convened in Delhi in September 2012 bringing together political leaders, prominent journalists and leading academics. At its core were debates concerning the significance of liberalism, socialism and revolutionary activism in modern and contemporary India. There was wide coverage in the Indian national media. Their work and their joint advocacy have contributed to the new prominence assigned to ideas in contemporary Indian political discourse.