The Making of Modern South Asia

Basic Information
SS110/Fall 2003 The Making of Modern South Asia

Vivek Bhandari Tuesday-Thursday 6.30-7.50 Franklin Patterson Hall 103

Office Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 1-3.30, and by appointment in G7, Franklin Patterson Hall Email: mailto:vbhandari@hampshire.edu; Phone: 559 5356 Webpage: [helios.hampshire.edu/~vbSS]

Course Information
A sub-continental space of well over a billion people, South Asia has witnessed the complex overlap of colonialism, imperialism, and nationalism in a period of less than three hundred years. More recently, following the events of 9/11, the region has received growing attention as a place where democratic and authoritarian rule coexist, and more generally, as an area of extremes. In this course we will discuss the economic, social, cultural, and political forces that facilitated processes of “nation-building” in the region, and attempt to identify the contradictions and ironies that are characteristic of modern South Asia. Using academic monographs, literary texts, personal narratives, and films — we will study how various scholars and artists have treated the region’s history and culture. We will also experiment with primary sources, and bring some of the most compelling problems of the South Asia’s history into sharper focus. By addressing the specifics of the history of South Asia, the course also hopes to bring questions of “doing history” into sharper focus, and explore what developments in social and political theory have to offer as a guide to the future.

Requirements

 * 3 short papers (3-5 pages long),
 * one paper proposal (1-2 pages),
 * and one longer paper (10-12 pages long)
 * One presentation in class

Assigned material must be read by the scheduled date. You are expected to participate in discussions and debates, and should be prepared to comment on the readings. There will be group exercises to help you prepare for class presentations. In order to receive an evaluation, all assignments and presentations have to be completed. All assignments are due in class; I would be glad to look over earlier drafts of the assignments in the scheduled office hours. Assignments should be typed double-spaced, papers should have 1-1.25-inch margins, and the font size should be 12. If you choose to miss a class or submit a late paper, please inform me in advance.

For the shorter papers, you will receive assignment topics. The final paper proposal, which may be on any topic connected to the main themes of the course—should help you streamline your research for the final research paper. Independent research is strongly encouraged for the this proposal and the final paper. During the semester, you should focus on engaged reading and writing, substantive revising, and analytical and critical thinking. You will receive substantial feedback on your papers during the semester from your peers and myself. The focus of my comments will be on your conceptual clarity, expression, and knowledge of the subject. At the end of the semester, you will present me with a portfolio that contains all your writings, in addition to a self-evaluation. This portfolio will document your progress as a writer, analyst, and historian. It will thus act as your contribution to our knowledge on South Asian history!

Readings
The following books are available at the college bookstore. All books are on reserve in the library. There will also be periodic handouts.


 * Ayesha Jalal and Sugata Bose Modern South Asia


 * Zareer Masani Indian Tales of the Raj


 * R. Mukherjee ed. The Penguin Gandhi Reader


 * Arundhati Roy Cost of Living


 * George Orwell Burmese Days


 * R. S. Hossain Sultana’s Dream


 * Bernard Cohn Colonialism and Its Forms of Knowledge

Reading Schedule
Week 1 Sept. 4	 Introduction: Main themes of the course

Week 2 Sept. 9	 South Asia: The Land and People Sept.11	 Dominance and Power in South Asia Readings for the week: Jalal & Bose, chs. 1-2, handouts, maps.

Week 3 Sept. 16	 Pre-colonial South Asia Sept. 18	 The Mughal Legacy Readings for the week: Jalal & Bose, chs. 3-5

Week 4 Sept. 23	 India and Europe: Ideologies of the Raj I Sept. 25	 Colonialism’s knowledges Readings for the week: Jalal & Bose, chs. 6-7; Cohn, chs. 1-2 FIRST PAPER DUE IN CLASS TODAY

Week 5 Sept. 30	 ADVISING DAY: No class Oct. 2	 Tradition v/s Modernity: Ideologies of the Raj II Readings for the week: Jalal & Bose, chs. 8-9; Cohn ch. 3-5

Week 6 Oct. 7	 Proto-Nationalism? Oct. 9	 Quasi-Nationalism? Readings for the week: Jalal & Bose, chs. 10-11; Orwell’s Burmese Days

FALL BREAK: October 11-14

Week 7 Oct. 14	 No Class Oct. 16	 Women in South Asian History: A History of (un)Doing Viewing of Satyajit Ray’s “Home and the World” (scheduled the previous week) Readings for the week: Hosain’s Sultana’s Dream SECOND PAPER DUE IN CLASS TODAY

Week 8 Oct. 21	 Gandhi and Modernity Oct. 23	 Gandhi’s Legacy Readings for the week: Jalal & Bose, chs. 12-13; Mukherjee, pp 1-176; Masani pp. 1-80

Week 9 Oct. 28	 Imagining India, Imagining the Empire Oct. 30	 Discussion of final paper proposals Readings for the week: Masani, pp 81-164 PROPOSAL FOR FINAL PAPER DUE TODAY

Week 10 Nov. 4	 Imagining Pakistan Nov. 6	 Communalism and Nationalism Readings for the week: Jalal & Bose, chs. 14-16 and handouts (on Jinnah and the Ali brothers)

Week 11 Nov. 11	 The Great Divide Nov. 13	 The Legacy of Partition Readings for the week: Partition short stories (handout); sections from Granta (1987)(handout); and Jalal & Bose, chs. 17-18 Viewing of “Stories my country told me” THIRD PAPER DUE IN CLASS TODAY

Week 12 Nov. 18	 Another Partition? Nov. 20	 A Broken Legacy Readings for the week: Jalal & Bose, chs. 19-20; handout on Kashmir issue ( Pankaj Mishra articles)

Week 13 Nov. 25	 Post-Colonial South Asia Nov. 27	Thanksgiving Break: No class Readings for the week: TBA FINAL PAPER DUE IN CLASS TODAY

Week 14 Dec. 2	 Contemporary South Asia Dec. 4	 Summing-up Readings for the week: Roy’s Cost of Living