HIS 315: MODERN SOUTH ASIA SPRING 2017 TR 2:00-3:15, F 477 Aryendra Chakravartty Department of History Liberal Arts North 355

Contact Information: E-mail: [email protected] Phone: (936) 468-2149 Office Hours: TR 11:00-12:15 and 3:15-4:30 I am also available by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Home to over 1.5 billion people, South Asia is a land of enormous diversity and extreme contrasts. Often represented as an exotic land with deeply embedded tradition and culture, it also produces nearly half of the world’s software. It is a place where the old and new, the modern and traditional, urban and rural, and the rich and poor jostle together for space. The primary aim of this course is to provide historical depth and comparative perspective on South Asia’s transition to social, economic and political “modernity” through its experience of British colonial rule, its struggle for independent nationhood and its experiments with democracy as independent nations. As such, the course will provide historical depth and comparative perspective on this sub- continent and elucidate on the experiment that is modern South Asia. We will survey the history of the subcontinent from the decline of the Mughal empire in 1707 to the establishment of British rule from 1757, to the rise of anti-colonial nationalisms in the 19th and 20th centuries culminating in independence and partition in 1947, and finally, to the 1950’s post-independent India. In the process we will also engage with these fundamental questions. How were the British able to establish their rule in the subcontinent? What was the impact of colonial rule? How did varying populations in India respond to colonial rule? How did anti-colonial nationalism evolve in the subcontinent? Why did M. K. Gandhi manage to capture the national imagination? What factors led to the independence and partition of the subcontinent into Pakistan and India? What were the contours of the development of India after independence? Where does India stand globally today? These questions will help us understand the nature of modern South Asia and of the sovereign, independent nations within the region.

READINGS The following books are required for the course - Barbara D. Metcalf and Thomas R. Metcalf, A Concise History of Modern India. [ISBN: 9781107672185] - Stephen Hay ed. Sources of Indian Tradition, Volume 2 [ISBN: 9780231064156] - Amartya Sen, The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity [ISBN: 9780312426026] - Gurucharan Das, India Unbound: The Social and Economic Revolution from Independence to the Global Information Age [ISBN: 9780385720748] Additional Readings: Assigned readings aside from these required texts will be available on the course website.

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FILMS The following films will be screened during the semester – TBA

Namesake – Mira Nair (2007) Chakde! India – Shimit Amin (2007) Bajrangi Bhaijaan – Kabir Khan (2015)

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Academic Integrity (A-9.1) Academic integrity is a responsibility of all university faculty and students. Faculty members promote academic integrity in multiple ways including instruction on the components of academic honesty, as well as abiding by university policy on penalties for cheating and plagiarism.

Definition of Academic Dishonesty Academic dishonesty includes both cheating and plagiarism. Cheating includes but is not limited to (1) using or attempting to use unauthorized materials to aid in achieving a better grade on a component of a class; (2) the falsification or invention of any information, including citations, on an assigned exercise; and/or (3) helping or attempting to help another in an act of cheating or plagiarism. Plagiarism is presenting the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own. Examples of plagiarism are (1) submitting an assignment as if it were one's own work when, in fact, it is at least partly the work of another; (2) submitting a work that has been purchased or otherwise obtained from an Internet source or another source; and (3) incorporating the words or ideas of an author into one's paper without giving the author due credit.

Please read the complete policy at http://www.sfasu.edu/policies/academic_integrity.asp

Withheld Grades (Semester Grades Policy, A-54) Ordinarily, at the discretion of the instructor of record and with the approval of the academic chair/director, a grade of WH will be assigned only if the student cannot complete the course work because of unavoidable circumstances. Students must complete the work within one calendar year from the end of the semester in which they receive a WH, or the grade automatically becomes an F. If students register for the same course in future terms the WH will automatically become an F and will be counted as a repeated course for the purpose of computing the grade point average.

Students with Disabilities To obtain disability related accommodations, alternate formats and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), Human Services Building, and Room 325, 468-3004 / 468-1004 (TDD) as early as possible in the semester. Once verified, ODS will notify the course instructor and outline the accommodation and/or auxiliary aids to be provided. Failure to request services in a timely manner may delay your accommodations. For additional information, go to http://www.sfasu.edu/disabilityservices/.

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Attendance You are expected to attend all lectures and participate in class discussions. As this course combines both lectures and class-discussions, irregular attendance will preclude the student from performing well in the course. It is important to note that class lectures are not a substitute for the readings and proper comprehension of both the readings and lectures are necessary to pass this course. All assignments, including papers and quizzes, are due on the day mentioned in the syllabus.

Acceptable Student Behavior Classroom behavior should not interfere with the instructor’s ability to conduct the class or the ability of other students to learn from the instructional program. Unacceptable or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Students who disrupt the learning environment may be asked to leave class and may be subject to judicial, academic or other penalties. The instructor will have full discretion over what behavior is deemed appropriate/inappropriate in the classroom. All cell phones must be turned off or put on silent or vibrate mode. Students are not to use their cell phones to text during class sessions.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Participation: - Each class is going to be a mix of lecture and discussion based upon the day’s readings. Class participation and active engagement in the discussions are essential components of this course. Readings: - The lectures are not a substitute for the reading or vice versa. You will require information from both lectures and readings to pass the course. Students are required to come to class fully prepared and this means they should have done the day’s assigned readings beforehand. Assignments: PAPER ONE DUE IN D2L FEB 7 BY 5PM: By 1856, it was almost a hundred years since the traders of the East India Company had become the rulers of India. In your opinion what were the significant transformations that the subcontinent experienced during this period. (4-5 pages)

PAPER TWO DUE IN D2L FEB 28 BY 5PM: Beginning with 1857, in what ways did Indians react to colonial rule and to colonialism’s social and cultural impact on Indian society? Compare the experiences and reactions of three individuals discussed in the readings of weeks 4, 5 and section 1 of week 6. (4-5 pages) OR PAPER THREE DUE IN D2L MAR 24 BY 5PM: In what ways had the Indian national movement changed since the inauguration of the Indian National Congress in 1885 to the pre- partition days of the 1940s. Explain the limitations of the Congress and the rise of the Muslim League. (4-5 pages)

PAPER FOUR DUE IN D2L MAY 9 BY 3 PM: Select one event or an individual from the period covered in this semester and write a paper building an argument by comparing the event or individual’s portrayal in a variety of different sources. These could be based on (a) Secondary

3 literature, or (b) Primary sources (contemporary accounts), (c) or a combination of the two. Before starting work on your paper, please have your selections approved by me. You should have met with me to discuss this paper by the end of week 8. (5-6 pages) Quiz: I will also conduct 5 quizzes during the semester. Please refer to the syllabus for the assigned quiz dates. The quizzes will be based on the week’s readings and lectures.

Grading Policy: Paper One (4-5 pages) 15% Paper Two (4-5 pages) OR 25% Paper Three (4-5 pages) Paper Four (5-6 pages) 25% Weekly Quizzes - 5 X 5% = 25% Attendance & Participation - 10% TOTAL = 100% Grading Scale 90-100 = A 80-89 = B 70-79 = C 60-69 = D 0-59 = F

No alternate (or "make-up") quizzes/exams will be offered. You must contact me prior to any excusable absence (medical, sport-related, etc.). Alternate and make-up exams and will only be given for prior excused absences or in case of emergencies that prevent you from taking the exam on the assigned day. You will not be allowed to make-up for the exam unless you provide me with appropriate documentation verifying your absence. Any late assignment will reflect in a lowering of your grade by 5% for each day they are late, up to a total of 25%. This leaves you the possibility of still getting a maximum of a “C” grade for a good work turned in late.

Program Learning Outcomes: The SFA History Department has identified the following Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) for all SFA students earning a B.A. degree in History: 1. Interpret the past in context. 2. Understand the complex nature of the historical record. 3. Engage in historical inquiry, research and analysis. 4. Craft historical narrative and argument. 5. Practice historical thinking as central to engaged citizenship. This section of this course will focus on PLOs 1, 2, 3 and 4.

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Student Learning Outcomes: The more specific outcomes for this particular course are as follows: 1. The student will be able to explain the modern history of South Asia. 2. The student will be able to explain the causes and consequences of colonial rule in South Asia. 3. The students will be able to explain Indian reactions to colonial rule. 4. The student will be able to explain the rise of independence movements and the decolonization of South Asia. 5. The student will be able to explain and critically evaluate the legacy of colonial rule in the post-independent India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE WITH ASSIGNED READINGS

WEEK 1 JAN 17-19 ORIGINS OF MODERN SOUTH ASIA Course Introduction Contours of Modern South Asia Ancient and Islamic Heritage Readings: - Metcalf & Metcalf, Chapter 1, pp. 1-28 - Amartya Sen, “The Reach of Reason,” in An Argumentative Indian Chapter 13 - Amartya Sen, “The Argumentative Indian,” in An Argumentative Indian Chapter 1

WEEK 2 JAN 24-26 BETWEEN TWO EMPIRES India in the 18th Century Readings: - Metcalf & Metcalf, Chapter 2, pp. 29-55

From the Mughal Empire to Company Raj Readings: - Hay, Sources, Chapter 1, pp. 4-34 - Amartya Sen, “China and India,” in An Argumentative Indian, Chapter 8

* QUIZ 1 (JAN 26)

WEEK 3 JAN 31- FEB 2 LIMITS OF LIBERALISM Governing India Readings: - Metcalf & Metcalf, Chapter 3, pp. 56-91

Indian Society and Culture Readings: - Amartya Sen, “Our Culture, Their Culture” in An Argumentative Indian, Chapter 6

5 - Amartya Sen, “Indian Traditions and the Western Imagination,” in An Argumentative Indian, Chapter 7 - Hay, Sources, Chapter 1, pp. 15-34 (Rammohun Roy) - T. B. Macaulay, “Minute on Education” Minute on Education - William Bentinck, “On Ritual Murder in India, 1829” On Ritual Murder in India, 1829

* QUIZ 2 (FEB 2)

WEEK 4 FEB 7- 9 REVOLT AND REPRESSION 1857 Readings: - Metcalf & Metcalf, Chapter 4, pp. 92-107 Aftermath of the Revolt Readings: - Metcalf & Metcalf, Chapter 4, pp. 108-122

* PAPER ONE DUE IN D2L FEB 7 BY 5PM: By 1856, it was almost a hundred years since the traders of the East India Company had become the rulers of India. In your opinion what were the significant transformations that the subcontinent experienced during this period. (4-5 pages)

WEEK 5 FEB 14-16 REFORM, REVIVAL AND THE RE-INVENTION OF “TRADITION” Making of British India Readings: - Metcalf & Metcalf, Chapter 5, pp. 123-150 - Hay, Sources, Chapter 2, pp. 44-62 (Keshub Chundra Sen & Dayananda Saraswati); pp. 72-83 (Swami Vivekananda)

Colonial Modernity Readings: - Nicholas Dirks, “Castes of Mind” pp. 56-78 - Partha Chatterjee, “The Nationalist Resolution of the Women’s Question” pp. 233-253. In Recasting Women. * QUIZ 3 (FEB 16)

WEEK 6 FEB 21-23 INDIAN NATIONALISM, 1885-WORLD WAR ONE Contours of Early Indian Nationalism Readings: - Metcalf & Metcalf, Chapter 5, pp. 150-166

Public Mobilization Readings: - Sandria B. Freitag, “Sacred Symbols as Mobilizing Ideology: The North Indian Search for a ‘Hindu’ Community,” Comparative Studies in Society and History 22, pp. 597-625

6 - Hay, Sources, Chapter 3, pp. 87-96 (Dadabhai Naoroji); pp. 113-120 (Gopal Krishna Gokhale); Chapter 4, pp. 128-148 (Bankim Chandra Chatterjee & Bal Gangadhar Tilak); pp. 159-172 (Lala Lajpat Rai); Chapter 5, pp. 173-195 (Syed Ahmed Khan)

WEEK 7 FEB 28-MAR 1 NATIONALISMS AND COMMUNALISMS Mass Nationalism Readings: - Metcalf & Metcalf, Chapter 6, pp. 167-202

Gandhi & Jinnah Readings: - Hay, Sources, Chapter 5, pp. 222-233; 236-242 (Muhammad Ali Jinnah & Abdul Kalam Azad); Chapter 6, pp. 243-274 (M. K. Gandhi)

* PAPER TWO DUE IN D2L FEB 28 BY 5PM: Beginning with 1857, in what ways did Indians react to colonial rule and to colonialism’s social and cultural impact on Indian society? Compare the experiences and reactions of three individuals discussed in the readings of weeks 4, 5 and 6. (4-5 pages)

WEEK 8 MAR 7-9 WAR AND DECOLONIZATION Different Visions Readings: - Hay, Sources, Chapter 7, pp. 275-333 (Tagore; Sarvarkar; MN Roy; Bose; Nehru; and Ambedkar) - Amartya Sen, “Tagore and His India,” in An Argumentative Indian, Chapter 5

Week 9 SPRING BREAK MARCH 11-19

WEEK 10 MAR 21-23 INDEPENDENCE AND PARTITION The Beginning of the end of the Raj Readings: - Metcalf & Metcalf, Chapter 7, pp. 203-230

History and Memory Readings: - Hay, Sources, Chapter 9, pp. 379-386

* PAPER THREE DUE IN D2L MAR 24 BY 5PM: In what ways had the Indian national movement changed since the inauguration of the Indian National Congress in 1885 to the pre- partition days of the 1940s. Explain the limitations of the Congress and the rise of the Muslim League. (4-5 pages)

7 WEEK 11 MAR 28-30 INDEPENDENT INDIA, 1950-1991 Making India Indian Readings: - Metcalf & Metcalf, Chapter 8, pp. 231-264 - Hay, Sources, Chapter 8, pp. 335-352 Congress Raj Readings: - Das, India Unbound, Part One, pp. ix-102

* QUIZ 4 (MAR 30)

WEEK 12 APR 4-6 REGIONS VURSES CENTRE, NATIONS AGAINST STATES Political Challenges Readings: - Das, India Unbound, Part Two, 103-212 Bharat versus India Readings: - Gail Omvedt, “Women, Peasants, Tribals, Environment,” in Reinventing Revolution: New Social Movements and the Socialist Tradition in India (Socialism and Social Movements) (1992), pp. 199- 231 - Amartya Sen, “Women and Men” in An Argumentative Indian, Chapter 11

WEEK 13 APR 11 STATE AND POLITICS, 1992-2007 Dismantling the Nehruvian State Readings: - Metcalf & Metcalf, Chapter 9 & Epilogue, 265-304 * QUIZ 5 (APR 11)

EASTER HOLIDAYS APRIL 13-16

WEEK 14 APR 18-20 DEVELOPMENT, LIBERALIZATION, AND GLOBALIZATION Politics of Mandir, Masjid, and Mandal Readings: - Gyanendra Pandey, “The Civilized and the Barbarian: The ‘New’ Politics of Late 20th Century India and the World,” in Hindus and Others: The Question of Identity in India Today (1993), pp. 1-23 - Amartya Sen, “Secularism and Its Discontents” in An Argumentative Indian, Chapter 14 - Amartya Sen, “India: Large and Small” in An Argumentative Indian, Chapter 3

8 Going Global Readings: - Das, India Unbound, Part Three, pp. 213-364

WEEK 15 APR 25-27 TRENDS AND PROSPECTS The Continuing Contradictions Readings: - Arundhati Roy, “Walking with the Comrades,” Outlook, March 29, 2010 Development versus People? Readings: - Ramchandra Guha, “Why India Survives?” in India After Gandhi: The History of the World’s Largest Democracy (2007) pp. 733-761

WEEK 16 MAY 2-4 ST INDIA IN THE 21 CENTURY – REFLECTIONS AND DISCUSSION India Rising? Readings: - Amartya Sen, “The Indian Identity,” in An Argumentative Indian, Chapter 16. India’s Tryst With Destiny Readings: - Amartya Sen, “Tryst with Destiny,” in An Argumentative Indian, Chapter 9. Week 17 * PAPER FOUR DUE ON FINALS WEEK (Must be submitted to D2L Dropbox on Tuesday, May 9 by 3:00 p.m.): Select one event or an individual from the period covered in this semester and write a paper building an argument by comparing the event or individual’s portrayal in a variety of different sources. These could be based on (a) Secondary literature, or (b) Primary sources (contemporary accounts), (c) or a combination of the two. Before starting work on your paper, please have your selections approved by me. You should have met with me to discuss this paper by the end of week 8. (5-6 pages)

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