T.C.A. Achintya

I’m a historian of law in the British Empire, and within it, I study the many ways in which everyday institutions and people shaped the legal structures and ideas people work with to this day. I ask the question: where does law come from? And I strongly believe that the answer lies as much in the impact ordinary people have through everyday disputes with each other and the system as in the actions of the elite. As a teacher of legal history, I encourage my students to consider the impact they can have on the systems surrounding them. We engage with our roles as ethical changemakers and advocates, not only in the distant future but in the here and now. In my classroom, we study the past to learn about where we come from, learning how much or little systems of law have changed over time, and the challenges that confronted those who came before us. We also study the present, examining the institutions we inhabit as we contemplate the role we might play in making a difference.