Harish C. Mehta
Encyclopedia
Harish Chandra Mehta is an award-winning journalist
and author
on Southeast Asia
n affairs, and historian
of American Foreign Relations
.
, India
, Dr. Mehta was educated at La Martiniere College
(he was in Hodson House), and the University of Lucknow
at Canning College. He was an International Freedom Forum Fellow and graduate student at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill. His Ph.D. dissertation at McMaster University
is on North Vietnam's diplomacy during the American war in Vietnam. He argues that the people of North Vietnam conducted remarkably successful diplomacy despite the meager economic and military strength of their country. He has conducted research in the Vietnamese archives, and speaks and writes in Vietnamese
(Tieng Viet).
Group. In the early-1980s, he was National Affairs Editor/Associate Editor of Gentleman
(magazine), a Bombay based features magazine that pursued serious investigative journalism under the helm of editor Minhaz Merchant, and ran stories and columns by the Indian poet Dom Moraes
, and others. Later, Mehta worked as Associate Publisher and Managing Editor of the Bombay-based Imprint magazine when Moraes was editor, and R.V. Pandit was publisher.
In the late 1980s, he moved to Singapore as Indochina Correspondent for the Business Times
, covering Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. He was then posted as Indochina correspondent in Bangkok. After completing his assignment with the Business Times, he wrote country reports on Thailand for The Economist Intelligence Unit and articles for Outlook India.
Harish is married to Julie B. Mehta, a scholar of Post-colonial studies, who teaches at the University of Toronto
.
: Hun Sen: Strongman of Cambodia (co-author Julie Mehta) is based on several hours of interviews with Prime Minister Hun Sen
, whom the authors have known personally for eighteen years. Although this is an authorized biography published in 1999, book reviewers have written that the account is fairly balanced, and provides new perspectives on a leader whose life has been shrouded in secrecy. A new and updated edition of the book containing more than 100 new pages and based on several hours of new interviews with Hun Sen is being launched in 2012.
Mehta's 2001 book Warrior Prince: Norodom Ranariddh, Son of King Sihanouk of Cambodia is based on several hours of interviews with Prince Norodom Ranariddh
, his wife Princess Marie Ranariddh (interviewed by Julie), his brother Prince Norodom Chakrapong
, and Prince Chakrapong's son Prince Norodom Buddhapong, as well as several actors in Cambodian politics. King Norodom Sihanouk
was critical of the book, and issued several press statements in order to correct the historical record.
As a New Left Historian, Mehta is supportive of the efforts by King Norodom Sihanouk to create a neutral and non-aligned Cambodia. Mehta praises King Sihanouk's influential role as a leading global voice for national liberation struggles in several decolonizing countries in Asia
in his public statements and in signed editorials in Kambuja magazine. Mehta argues that historians will remember King Sihanouk as a nationalist who attempted to keep his country free from the hegemony of both the United States
and the Soviet Union
. Prime Minister Hun Sen, likewise, opposes American intervention in his country.
Mehta's 1997 book Cambodia Silenced: The Press Under Six Regimes is the first effort to document the troubled history of the Cambodian press. These three books have been widely cited in historical works and dissertations by scholars, and are on recommended reading lists in history, political science and journalism courses at some universities.
Mehta's articles are appearing in the journals Peace and Change, and Diplomatic History in early 2012. He is working on a new book on North Vietnam's people's diplomacy.
.
In 1989, he won the Journalist of the Year award from the Press Foundation of Asia, Manila and the Mitsubishi Public Affairs Committee, Japan.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
on Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
n affairs, and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
of American Foreign Relations
Foreign relations of the United States
The United States has formal diplomatic relations with most nations. The United States federal statutes relating to foreign relations can be found in Title 22 of the United States Code.-Pacific:-Americas:-Caribbean:...
.
Education
Born in LucknowLucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Dr. Mehta was educated at La Martiniere College
La Martiniere College
La Martiniere is a non-denominational public school in India and in France .La Martiniere Schools were founded posthumously by Major General Claude Martin in the early 19th century. Martin had acquired a large fortune while serving the Nawab of Awadh Asaf-ud-Daula and bequeathed a major part of...
(he was in Hodson House), and the University of Lucknow
University of Lucknow
The University of Lucknow is a university in the city of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is affiliated to University Grants Commission; Association of Commonwealth Universities ; Association of Indian Universities ; Distance Education Council...
at Canning College. He was an International Freedom Forum Fellow and graduate student at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
at Chapel Hill. His Ph.D. dissertation at McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
is on North Vietnam's diplomacy during the American war in Vietnam. He argues that the people of North Vietnam conducted remarkably successful diplomacy despite the meager economic and military strength of their country. He has conducted research in the Vietnamese archives, and speaks and writes in Vietnamese
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
(Tieng Viet).
Journalistic career
He began his journalistic career in the late-1970s as a reporter on Bombay magazine of the India TodayIndia Today
India Today is an Indian weekly news magazine published by Living Media India Limited, in publication since 1975 based in Mumbai. India Today is also the name of its sister-publication in Hindi...
Group. In the early-1980s, he was National Affairs Editor/Associate Editor of Gentleman
Gentleman
The term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
(magazine), a Bombay based features magazine that pursued serious investigative journalism under the helm of editor Minhaz Merchant, and ran stories and columns by the Indian poet Dom Moraes
Dom Moraes
Dominic Francis Moraes , popularly known as Dom Moraes, was a Goan writer, poet and columnist. He published nearly 30 books.-Early life:...
, and others. Later, Mehta worked as Associate Publisher and Managing Editor of the Bombay-based Imprint magazine when Moraes was editor, and R.V. Pandit was publisher.
In the late 1980s, he moved to Singapore as Indochina Correspondent for the Business Times
Business Times (Singapore)
The Business Times of Singapore is an English-language newspaper published since 1 October 1976 . In 1 January 1994, it became the first English-language newspaper in Asia to launch an online news service called Business Times Online. It is part of the Singapore Press Holdings group.-External links:*...
, covering Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. He was then posted as Indochina correspondent in Bangkok. After completing his assignment with the Business Times, he wrote country reports on Thailand for The Economist Intelligence Unit and articles for Outlook India.
Harish is married to Julie B. Mehta, a scholar of Post-colonial studies, who teaches at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
.
Books
Mehta has written three books on CambodiaCambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
: Hun Sen: Strongman of Cambodia (co-author Julie Mehta) is based on several hours of interviews with Prime Minister Hun Sen
Hun Sen
Hun Sen is the current Prime Minister of Cambodia.He has been the sole leader of the Cambodian People's Party , which has governed Cambodia since the Vietnamese-backed overthrow of the Khmer Rouge in 1979...
, whom the authors have known personally for eighteen years. Although this is an authorized biography published in 1999, book reviewers have written that the account is fairly balanced, and provides new perspectives on a leader whose life has been shrouded in secrecy. A new and updated edition of the book containing more than 100 new pages and based on several hours of new interviews with Hun Sen is being launched in 2012.
Mehta's 2001 book Warrior Prince: Norodom Ranariddh, Son of King Sihanouk of Cambodia is based on several hours of interviews with Prince Norodom Ranariddh
Norodom Ranariddh
Prince Norodom Ranariddh is the second son of former king Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and a half brother of the current king, Norodom Sihamoni.-Biography:...
, his wife Princess Marie Ranariddh (interviewed by Julie), his brother Prince Norodom Chakrapong
Norodom Chakrapong
Prince Norodom Chakrapong of Cambodia is the son Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia. Following years of guerilla fighting where he earned respect among the Sihanoukist resistance, he became a key figure in Cambodian politics in 1991...
, and Prince Chakrapong's son Prince Norodom Buddhapong, as well as several actors in Cambodian politics. King Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk regular script was the King of Cambodia from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his semi-retirement and voluntary abdication on 7 October 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni...
was critical of the book, and issued several press statements in order to correct the historical record.
As a New Left Historian, Mehta is supportive of the efforts by King Norodom Sihanouk to create a neutral and non-aligned Cambodia. Mehta praises King Sihanouk's influential role as a leading global voice for national liberation struggles in several decolonizing countries in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
in his public statements and in signed editorials in Kambuja magazine. Mehta argues that historians will remember King Sihanouk as a nationalist who attempted to keep his country free from the hegemony of both the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Prime Minister Hun Sen, likewise, opposes American intervention in his country.
Mehta's 1997 book Cambodia Silenced: The Press Under Six Regimes is the first effort to document the troubled history of the Cambodian press. These three books have been widely cited in historical works and dissertations by scholars, and are on recommended reading lists in history, political science and journalism courses at some universities.
Mehta's articles are appearing in the journals Peace and Change, and Diplomatic History in early 2012. He is working on a new book on North Vietnam's people's diplomacy.
Awards
As a historian, Mehta has won several academic awards, among which is the Samuel Flagg Bemis Award in 2008 and 2007 given by the Society for Historians of American Foreign RelationsSociety for Historians of American Foreign Relations
The Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations is the leading learned society for the academic study of the history of United States foreign policy....
.
In 1989, he won the Journalist of the Year award from the Press Foundation of Asia, Manila and the Mitsubishi Public Affairs Committee, Japan.