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The 1947 Partition Archive
We are a crowdsourced community-based archive and public history organization. We help empower you to document, preserve and share oral histories of Partition witnesses and survivors in your community. Following World War II, the British empire rapidly declined and the year 1947 saw the end of British colonial rule in South Asia. The formation of modern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh (as East Pakistan in 1947) followed, via the Partition of Punjab and Bengal. Partition unfolded chaotically, leading to one of the largest mass refugee crises of the last century, sending ripple effects across the globe. Explore the untold history of Partition through collections you have helped build and preserve. Learn More…
Collections
Embark on a journey through time and experience the poignant narratives of lives forever altered by the 1947 Partition. Millions fled at a moment’s notice, losing everything that they had ever known, and millions lost their lives in the unprecedented communal violence that unfolded.
Recent Stories
Our Book
10,000 Memories
Based on the first and the largest pan-South Asian oral history survey ever conducted, 10,000 Memories tells the story of Partition, World War II and Independence in the mid-20th century Indian subcontinent through hundreds of individual experiences.
It costs $200 to record, archive, preserve, and share one story.
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The 1947 Partition Archive records life stories shaped by Partition. Witnesses are waiting right now to share their incredible and historic memories. As a monthly donor, receive update s about the stories your donation preserved.
Give voice to untold stories
Exhibitions & Events
Forgotten frontlines, berkeley, california
Details: Coming this fall to Berkeley in a collaboration between The 1947 Partition Archive and Pacific Atrocities Education.
Frontlines: World War II's Asia-Pacific Theater and the Road to Partition. An outdoor exhibition, held adjacent to the Downtown Berkeley Farmer's market. The exhibit features forgotten histories from the China-Burma-India theatre of World War II, as told through community voices, juxta positioned with a community festival themed on pan-Asian cultures, honing in on the China-Myanmar-India triangle.
- August 31, 2024
- Downtown Berkeley Civic Center Park, Berkeley, CA
Forgotten frontlines, san jose, california
Details: Coming this fall to San Jose in a collaboration between The 1947 Partition Archive and Pacific Attrocities Education - Forgotten
Frontlines: World War II's Asia-Pacific Theater and the Road to Partition. An exibition on forgotten histories, featuring community voices, juxtapositioned with a community festival themed on pan-Asian cultures, honing in on the China-Myanmar-India triangle.
- August .17, 2024
- Iris Chang Memorial Park, San Jose, CA
10,000 memories, london
Details: A panel discussion and student event commemorating the release of 10,000 Memories, the book.
- April 26, 2023
- SOAS, University of London, London, UK
News Highlights
PBS
Ms. Marvel, a Pakistani American teenager named Kamala Khan, is the latest superhero to join the Marvel Universe. Her superpower? Family bangles that carry the strength and power
Hindustan Times
A large number of Sikhs were present but alas no one in the audience got to speak. However, the lack of audience participation
The New York Times
BERKELEY, Calif. — Growing up, Guneeta Singh Bhalla heard a terrifying story from her grandmother. In August 1947, as British India was being partitioned into independent India and Pakistan,
Learn About Partition
Made possible by
The 1947 Partition Archive is funded by thousands of community members like you, from across the world, who range in age and have contributed gifts of all sizes. As the Archive has grown, it has garnered support from institutional donors as well. Major donors include (in alphabetical order)
