Fall 2006, 206 Wheeler, Tuesdays 4-6 pm

103 F: Nationalism and Colonialism in South Asia

Dr. Prachi Deshpande

Office Hours: Tue 11-12pm, Wed 2-4 pm, 3223 Dwinelle Hall

Welcome to 103 F! This seminar will examine the colonial encounter in the Indian subcontinent, i.e. the period of British colonialism during the period roughly between 1750-1950. We will explore the nature of this encounter and its impact on the subcontinent, particularly the emergence of modern nationalisms and the making of the modern South Asian nation-states of India and Pakistan.

Recent scholarship on British colonialism and Indian nationalism has been rich and diverse, examining areas ranging from the nature of "anti-colonial" nationalism to the impact on the economy, on state practices, social structures such as caste, peasant resistance, gender relations and modern history-writing itself. One of the objectives of the course is to introduce students to some of the major historical debates in South Asian history through the concepts of "nationalism", "colonialism" and "modernity". Another is to think about the ways in which this encounter has been represented in different kinds of texts ranging from scholarly and polemical texts, novels and films.

Assignments will include weekly response papers (one-two pages) and a final 25-30 page paper, and oral presentations in class.

Required Texts: (I will be putting together a small course packet as well):

1. Partha Chatterjee, The Nation and its Fragments: Colonial & Postcolonial Histories, Princeton University Press, 1993, 0691019436

2. C.A. Bayly, Indian Society and the Making of the British Empire, Cambridge University Press, 1988

3. Barbara Daly Metcalf & Thomas Metcalf, A Concise History of India, Cambridge University Press, 0521639743

4. Nicholas Dirks, Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India, Princeton University Press, 2001

5. Charu Gupta, Sexuality, Obscenity, Community: Women, Muslims and the Hindu Public in Colonial India, Palgrave Macmillan, 2002, 0312295855

6. Shahid Amin, Event, Metaphor, Memory: Chauri Chaura: 1922-1992, University of California Press, 1995, 0520087801,

7. Urvashi Butalia, The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India, Duke University Press, 2000, 0822324946

8. Amitav Ghosh, The Glass Palace: A Novel, Random House, 2002, 0375758771

9. Sumit Sarkar, Beyond Nationalist Frames: Postmodernism, Hindu Fundamentalism, History, Indiana University Press, 0253342031

We will spend some time initially putting the specific week's readings in perspective and sketch in the background picture. I will also send out (or put up on bspace) some study questions and guidelines for reading each book. The course is in seminar format, so it will depend considerably on your input! The bulk of class time will be devoted to discussing the week's assigned readings and for this discussion and the course to work and for you to get the most out of it, it is your responsibility to do all the readings in advance and come to class prepared with questions and comments. Here are some tips when doing all your readings:

• Take down important details of events, personalities and changes identified in the reading. If the names of people, battles, laws and concepts are unfamiliar, “googling” can sometimes help, but please also bring these questions to class. Clarificatory questions are ALWAYS welcome; NO question is ever silly or too trivial. You will likely be doing your classmates a favor by asking it!

• When reading a piece, always try to identify the central argument the author is making. What is s/he trying to say overall? How well is his or her point being articulated? Do you agree or disagree? What has been well argued, and what has been simply assumed? Always keep an eye out for the sources the author uses to make her argument. How do you think these sources shape the argument itself? Do they seem reliable? Enough? Persuasive?

• Identifying the central argument or polemic of a book is not only an essential part of critical reading, but it also will help you sift through the details, names and events that will frequently seem foreign in many of these readings. Pay attention to the details, but do not get bogged down in them. Move beyond the details and examples to the underlying theoretical and historical argument the author is trying to make.

• As the weeks progress, an important part of your reading will involve connecting readings to others already covered and linking these to the broader questions regarding nationalism outlined above. Keep these questions at the back of your mind when reading.

• It is helpful, although not always advisable, to connect South Asian contexts to other, comparable colonial contexts. Ask yourself what these might be: what might a meaningful comparison of gender or caste issues be to social inequalities and structures elsewhere, and under what terms and conditions such comparisons might be made. Are they at all insightful and useful?

• Overall, remember that this reading is not only imbibing the ideas of an author, but also engaging in a dialogue with the author regarding these concepts, both in your notes and in our classroom discussions.

Course Requirements:

• For every week, to facilitate discussion, I will have one or two students (depending on the final size of the class) present the arguments of a particular reading and lead part of the discussion. Those who are in charge of a particular week’s reading will have to present a broad summary of the book/article’s main arguments, the kind of evidence it presents, and more importantly raise a set of analytical questions about that book and its findings for the entire class to discuss. You can meet with me ahead of the week that you’re responsible for and we can review the materials together so we’re all better prepared!

• Each student will write weekly response papers for each week’s reading. This response paper will have to be no more than 2-3 double spaced pages (no more than 1-inch margins and 12pt fonts). A good response paper will balance a summary of the book’s main arguments and your opinion about its method, argument and perspective. I will give you comments on each week’s papers, and this is a good way to warm up for the final paper, to get used to presenting your own critical thinking in writing.

• You will also write a 25-30 page final paper. This paper will be on a topic chosen through individual consultation with me. You will choose the paper topic well in advance, and spend much of the latter half of the semester working on it. A couple of weeks before submission, you will also present your findings and a “status-report” on your research to the entire class.

• Remember, it is always allowed to disagree with an author's point of view, as well as with mine, both in your discussions as well as papers. I encourage free expression and civil debate in the class, so by all means please feel free to speak your mind and engage with the readings and issues at hand. However, this has to go beyond “I hate this writer's style” or “she has no idea what she's saying” or “I don't know why, but I can't buy what you're saying.”

Grade Distribution:

30% Weekly response papers
35% Participation in Class Discussion and Presentation
35% Final Paper                                                                                    

Grades:

I will give you feedback throughout the semester on your response papers, and on your class participation to order to improve your writing/critical thinking skills, as well as your analytical engagement with the readings. This is how I will decide the overall grade for the course:

An F grade: is not a passing grade. 4 or more classes missed, lack of engagement with the readings in class and very poorly written and argued papers or missed submissions will warrant this grade.

A D Grade: Poor attendance (more than 2 classes missed), papers that contain glaring spelling and grammatical errors and mistakes, and poor engagement with the readings, issues raised and class discussions, and overall minimal effort on part of the student, despite feedback given throughout the semester.

A C grade: All aspects of the class or written assignments completed correctly, but with less than adequate original and critical thinking, both in papers and in class. C papers will typically rely too much on summary and less on analysis. The grammar or proofreading errors in them will be substantial, but not overwhelming. The degree of these features will make the difference between the range of the C grade, from C plus to C minus.

A B grade: Successful completion of the requirements of the course competently and intelligently, a thorough understanding of the main contours of the course materials, meaningful contributions to class discussions and original, critical thinking and expression in papers. B papers will address the main aspects of the posed questions and reflect the author’s original thinking. They will contain interesting and often complicated analysis, but will not develop these ideas fully, or probe the larger implications of the arguments. Once again, the degree of these features, and of grammar and proofreading errors will make the difference between the range of the B grade, from B plus to B minus.

An A/A minus grade: Awarded for outstanding overall performance. This is a possible, but difficult grade to get, and will require considerable effort and commitment. This will require: deep, original engagement with the readings, issues raised in the class and original thinking, reflected both in the written papers as well as questions raised in class discussion. An A paper will take risks that pay off: it will pose intelligent questions that open up fresh avenues of thinking and analysis. It will not only pose these ideas but also move towards thinking about possible conclusions: in other words, it will follow through with its ideas. It will be well written and argued, and will contain NO proof-reading errors or grammatical mistakes. If an idea is not as adequately developed as it could have been, or if there are typos or grammatical errors, the paper will warrant an A minus.

Deadlines are non-negotiable. All late submissions will warrant a lower grade.

When quoting or paraphrasing another writer's work in your papers, always remember to cite it in your papers to avoid a charge of plagiarism. I will explain how these citations are to be provided in the papers. If you have any doubts or questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please speak with me before submitting your papers. Please also consult the Students’ Guide to Academic Integrity, linked on the History Department’s website.

Readings and Topics Schedule (Subject to change!)

Aug 29: Introduction to themes and outline of the course

Sep 5: South Asian History: An overview

Barbara Daly Metcalf & Thomas Metcalf, A Concise History of India, pp.1-226.

Sep 12: The Colonial Encounter: A question of blame?

C.A. Bayly, Indian Society and the Making of the British Empire

Sep 19: Anti-colonial or non-western nationalism

Partha Chatterjee, The Nation and its Fragments: Colonial & Postcolonial Histories

Sep 26: Caste, colonialism and governmentality

Nicholas Dirks, Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India

(start thinking about a final paper topic: make appointment with me before Oct 5 to discuss topic)

Oct 3: Gender, nation and modernity

Charu Gupta, Sexuality, Obscenity, Community: Women, Muslims and the Hindu Public in Colonial India

Oct 10: Mandatory library visit during class time: Moffitt 350C (venue to be confirmed)

Oct 17: Gandhi, the peasantry and narratives of nationalism
Shahid Amin, Event, Metaphor, Memory: Chauri-Chaura 1922-92

Amin, “Gandhi as Mahatma” from Subaltern Studies III, course packet

Oct 24: Religious community and Nationalism:

Readings by Metcalf, Jalal, Gilmartin, Savarkar, etc. TBA, in course packet or linked on Bspace

Oct 31: Historiography, gender and partition
Urvashi Butalia: The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India
Gyan Pandey, “The Three Partitions of 1947” from Remembering Partition, course packet

To be scheduled: showing outside class time of film: Ghare Baire (Home & the World: date/venue TBA)

Nov 7: Marxist historiography, Indian nationalism and post-colonialism
Sumit Sarkar, Beyond Nationalist Frames: Hindutva, Postmodernism, History

Nov 14: Colonialism and nationalism in historical fiction

Amitav Ghosh, The Glass Palace

Nov 21: Paper presentations

Nov 28: Paper presentations

Dec 5: final class, wrap up discussion, bring together main themes of the course

Dec 6: Final Paper due in my office NO LATER THAN 5 pm.