History of Modern South Asia, ca. 1750-present (385-2-20)
Instructors
Ashish Koul
847/467-3879
Harris 212
Meeting Info
Harris Hall L28: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
This survey course will introduce students to over two hundred years of the history of South Asia - home to nearly one-fourth of the world's population today - and South Asian communities. From the mid-eighteenth century to the present, South Asia has witnessed multiple political transitions - from Mughal sovereignty to British colonial rule, from British authority to post-colonial nation-building, and the creation of new territorial nation-states. Dilemmas rooted in histories of imperialism haunt South Asian nation-states and South Asian communities living elsewhere in the world today. In this course, we will examine a range of themes related to this diverse region and its colonial and post-colonial history. How and why did the British state consolidate political control and transform itself in this region? How did British Indians challenge the many edifices of imperialism and wrest political independence in 1947? What sort of anti-colonialism emerged in colonial India? What is the place of imperialism in the creation and evolution of diasporic South Asian communities? In addition, we will reflect on socio-political movements that sought to redress gender and caste inequality and investigate their fraught relationship with the colonial state, anti-colonial nationalism, and the ongoing project of post-colonial nation-making. Key themes include: ideologies and practices of imperialism; anti-colonial nationalisms; social movements focused on caste, class, and gender inequalities; post-colonial nation-making and its continued challenges. In looking at these issues from the regional perspective of South Asia, we will also have occasion to reflect on the colonial roots of many contemporary global debates about diversity, inclusion, and social justice.
Learning Objectives
In this course, students will learn to 1. analyze primary sources and think historically 2. refine their writing skills and produce cogent, coherent essays 3. evaluate the nature of historical change in South Asia from the mid-18th century to the present
Evaluation Method
3 papers and class participation
Class Notes
Concentration: Asia/Middle East
Class Attributes
Advanced Expression
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity