Module overview
India as we know it today did not exist before decolonization in 1947. During British imperial rule, India was a collection of British colonial territories and loosely colonized Princely states. And, for almost three thousand years before colonial rule, the territory we know as India was in fact many different states. How did India become one nation with many official languages and the biggest functioning democracy in the world?
This module will address this question by tracing how stories about ‘one India’ have been told in the last 150 years by important commentators of the time. We will read James Mills’ 1818 History of India alongside Jawaharlal Nehru’s Discovery of India which was written in 1935. Through these readings we will think about how a modern nation state comes to be. What are the processes through which new unity is imagined?
Effectively, this module will introduce you to debates in the history of nationalism through a case study of Indian nationalism.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Think critically about the applicability of European theories of nationalism to new post-colonial nation states.
- Recognize the internal fragmentation of the Indian nation state.
- Weigh the comparative merits of influential theories of nationalism
- Think critically about narratives of nationhood in history writing, literature and visual culture
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- Major theories of nationalism
- Debates within the field of the historiography of European and Non-western nationalism
- Major ways in which the story of India as a singular nation has been narrated in history writing, literature and visual arts
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Interpret historical texts as products of their own context and not as repositories of positivist knowledge.
- Develop independent ideas on key problems and be able to justify and defend them
- Present arguments in oral and written form and engage with the reasoned arguments of others
- Assimilate a variety of interpretations and consider the evidence for each
- Understand how these texts can be related to other forms of evidence
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Integrate these readings with a wider understanding of the modern world.
- Think critically about nationalism and its impact on history writing.
- Connect historical writing to the wider historical problems of its time.
Syllabus
Topics to be covered include- Introduction to nationalist historiography, English, French and German ideas about history and nation, Histories of India written between 1800 and 1947 and literary representations of India between 1800 and 1947.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include:
- Short introductory lectures which may include some group work/participation
- Seminars focusing on the detailed reading and analysis of primary sources – these could be texts, images or objects
Learning activities include:
- In depth analysis of primary sources
- Preparatory reading and individual study
- Individual participation in seminars, group work and short presentations on seminar themes
Discussion in seminars will help you to develop your ideas on a topic, to analyse a range of source material and to articulate a critical argument.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Completion of assessment task | 30 |
| Revision | 24 |
| Seminar | 12 |
| Lecture | 12 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 72 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Hunter, William Wilson, and P. E. Roberts (1966). A history of British India. New York: AMS Press.
Nehru, Jawaharlal (2004). The discovery of India. New Delhi: Penguin.
Raja Rao (1963). Kanthapura. New York: New Directions.
Herder, Johann Gottfried, and Frank Edward Manuel (1968). Reflections on the philosophy of the history of. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Anderson, Benedict R. O'G. (1991). Imagined communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. London: Verso.
Goswami, Manu (2004). Producing India from colonial economy to national space. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Sartori, Andrew (2008). Bengal in global concept history: culturalism in the age of capital. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Tagore, Rabindranath (1917). Nationalism. New York: The Macmillan Co..
Chatterji, Bankim (2005). Anandamath, or The Sacred Brotherhood. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Shingavi, Snehal (2014). The Mahatma misunderstood: the politics and forms of literary nationalism in India. Anthem Press.
Gellner, Ernest (1997). Nationalism. N.Y: New York University Press.
Savarkar, Vinayak Damodar, and S. T. Godbole (1971). Six glorious epochs of Indian history. Bombay: Bal Savarkar; associate Publishers & sole distributors.
Mill, James, and William Thomas (1975). The history of British India. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 60% |
| Exercise | 40% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Resubmit assessments | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External