History of Modern South Asia, 1500-1800 (385-1-20)
Instructors
Rajeev Kumar Kinra
847/467-1241
Harris Hall - Room 307
Rajeev Kinra is an associate professor of South Asian history and comparative literature at Northwestern University, specializing in early modern Indo-Persian literary and political culture, especially under the Mughal Empire and during the early phase of British colonialism in India. His first book, Writing Self, Writing Empire: Chandar Bhan Brahman and the Cultural World of the Indo-Persian State Secretary (2015), received the 2019 Mohammad Habib Memorial Prize, awarded by the Indian History Congress for the best book on medieval or early modern Indian history published between 2015-2018. Author of numerous scholarly articles, Kinra also served from 2020-2024 on the editorial board of the Murty Classical Library of India (MCLI), and from 2016-2023 on the academic Advisory Panel of the British Library’s Endangered Archives Programme (EAP).
Meeting Info
Parkes Hall 212: Mon, Wed 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
When people think of early modern India it it usually the fabled courts of the Mughal Empire, or monuments such as the Taj Mahal, or perhaps romantic portrayals of adventure and derring-do under the British Raj that capture their imagination. But beyond all the glitz and romance, the period from about 1500-1800 was also one of significant transformations in the social, cultural, and political life of the Indian subcontinent. This course will survey some of these developments, begininning with the integration of India's multiple religious, literary, and visual cultures under the Mughal Empire's ideology of "universal civility" (sulh-i kull). This policy included the welcoming of European merchants and missionaries who began arriving in the Indian subcontinent during the 16th century; but as Mughal power waned in the 18th century, it faced challenges not only from former client states and regional kingdoms that sought to fill its shoes, but also from the encounter with Europe, particularly the growing military and economic might of the British. And as the British role in India transitioned from one of mere traders to that of empire-builders with a so-called "civilizing mission," they too would transform the culture and society of India in ways that continue to resonate in South Asian history and cultural memory today.
Learning Objectives
The readings in this course draw from a range of genres: primary sources, scholarly articles, and a general textbook (see below) that synthesizes a dazzling array of recent scholarship on early modern India. Over the course of the quarter, we will work to improve our ability to do the following:
• Read primary sources critically and attentively, and to use them, in turn, to think critically about how historical narratives get constructed.
• Use the writing assignments to reflect, both on the human level and as students of history, on the ways in which historical inquiry can change our own perceptions of a place like India, and indeed, might make us better-informed global citizens.
• Navigate debates over questions of how to interpret various aspects of South Asia's plural histories, cultures, and societies, and to discuss these sorts of debates in a way that is civil, productive, and grounded in tangible evidence.
• Embrace the element of surprise, as well as think seriously about the limits of our knowledge, on both the epistemological and the practical levels. On the epistemological level, there are many important historical questions about the period we will be covering (such as, say, questions about the lives of the poor and the marginalized) that the evidence currently available simply does not enable us to answer with any clarity, even if we are sometimes able to infer things from the sources that we do have. And on the practical level, as dependent as we are upon them, most of the sources that have survived are themselves the products of relatively elite strata of society, meaning that we need to be attentive to the context in which (and for which) they were
Evaluation Method
Short essays during the quarter; final essay at the end of the quarter
Class Materials (Required)
Materials will be posted on Canvas
Class Notes
Concentration: Aisa/Middle East; Global
Class Attributes
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Only History majors and minors can currently enroll in this class.