A remotely recorded podcast with Mitra Sharafi (Law School Profile), Evjue-Bascom Professor of Law at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
In this episode of Wisconsin Law and Action, Professor Mitra Sharafi provides insight into her newest book, Fear of the False: Forensic Science and the Law of Crime in Colonial South Asia, published by Cornell University Press. Prof. Sharafi discusses how the British colonial stereotype of “native mendacity”, the racialized belief that South Asians were constitutionally dishonest, paradoxically drove advances in forensic science in British India and Burma. Prof. Sharafi explains that this fear of fabricated evidence accelerated the development of specific forensic tests, including species-of-origin bloodstain testing, arsenic detection in cattle poisoning cases, and sperm cell staining methods, many of which later spread globally. Additionally, Prof. Sharafi uncovers a blind spot: a rule which allowed government forensic experts to submit written reports without appearing in court for cross-examination, unlike the practice in England. This procedural shortcut, originally justified by the difficulty of travel, became entrenched and has persisted in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh long after independence.
Beyond her new book, Prof. Sharafi also expounds on working with students and experiences conducting legal history research in archives across the world. The conversation broadens to touch on contemporary issues including rising public mistrust of scientific expertise, the influence of AI on research and evidence, and finally, the importance of communicating scholarly work to wider audiences, including through collaboration with popular fiction writers.
The interview was conducted on April 20, 2026 | 49:19 minutes; published June 10, 2026. Transcript file (PDF).
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