History

Themes in Indian History Part-I

1. The Story of the First Cities: Harappan Archaeology

Early urban centres.

2. Political and Economic History: How Inscriptions tell a story

Political and economic history from the Mauryan to the Gupta period.

3. Social Histories: Using the Mahabharata

Issues in social history, including caste, class, kinship and gender.

4. A History of Buddhism: Sanchi Stupa

1. A brief review of religious histories of Vedic religion, Jainism, Vaisnavism, Saivism.
2. Focus on Buddhism

Themes in Indian History Part-II

5. Agrarian Relations: The Ain-i-Akbari

1. Structure of agrarian relations in the 16th and 17th centuries.
2. Patterns of change over the period.

6. The Mughal Court: Reconstructing Histories through Chronicles

1. Outline of political history 15th-17th centuries.
2. Discussion of the Mughal court and politics.

7. New Architecture: Hampi

1. Outline of new buildings during Vijayanagar period-temples, forts, irrigation facilities.
2. Relationship between architecture and the political system.

8. Religious Histories: The Bhakti-Sufi tradition

1. Outline of religious developments during this period.
2. Ideas and practices of the Bhakti-Sufi saints.

9. Medieval Society Through Travelers' Accounts

Outline of social and cultural life as they appear in travelers' accounts.

Themes in Indian History Part-III

10. Colonialism and-Rural Society: Evidence from Official Reports

1. Life of zamindars, peasants and artisans in the late 18th century
2. East India Company, revenue settlements and surveys.
3. Changes over the nineteenth century.

11. Representations of 1857

1. The events of 1857-58.
2. How these events were recorded and narrated.

12. Colonialism and Indian Towns: Town Plans and Municipal Reports

The growth of Mumbai, Chennai, hill stations and cantonments in the 18th and 19th centuries.

13. Mahatma Gandhi through Contemporary Eyes

1. The Nationalist Movement 1918 - 48.
2. The nature of Gandhian politics and leadership.

14. Partition through Oral Sources

1. The history of the 1940s.
2. Nationalism, Communalism and Partition.

15. The Making of the Constitution

1. Independence and the new nation state.
2. The making of the Constitution.

Unit 16: Map Work

Map Work on Units 1-15