This course is designed to provide a critical introduction to the political, economic, social and cultural history of India from the assumption of direct rule by the Crown to independence. The module follows a broadly chronological framework along major themes which include - the consolidation of British rule after 1857; rebellion and resistance by Indians including subordinated groups; the emergence of the colonial economy; changes in the role and status of women; socio-religious and revivalist movements; the nationalist movement; the growth of communal identities and partition. The study of the Indian economy, politics and society will be useful for students planning an in-depth study of the sub-continent in their final year. No prior knowledge of the subject is assumed. REQUISITES: HS1101 or HS1104 or HS1105 or HS1106.

 Students who take this module will be able to:

• demonstrate in-depth knowledge and understanding of the changes that took place in colonial Indian politics, economy and society.
• critically assess the different approaches to the study of the Indian past and appreciate the importance of an India-centred approach.
• gain new insights from the history of subordinated groups including women, tribals and peasants as well as the history of minority religious groups such as Muslims.
• demonstrate the ability to analyse the significance of events at an All-India level as well as understand the importance of regional differences.
• articulate and present arguments succinctly and with clarity in several non-assessed and assessed essays as well as in examination answers.

 This module will be taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars and video workshops.

Students will be assessed by means of a combination of one 1000 word assessed essay [15%], one 2000 word assessed essay [35%] and one two-hour unseen written examination paper in which the student will answer two questions [50%].

Course assignments:

1. Assessed Essay 1will contribute 15% of the final mark for the module. It is designed to give students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to review evidence, draw appropriate conclusions from it and employ the formal conventions of scholarly presentation. It must be no longer than 1,000 words (excluding empirical appendices and references).
2. Assessed Essay 2will contribute 35% of the final mark for the module. It is designed to give students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to review evidence, draw appropriate conclusions from it and employ the formal conventions of scholarly presentation. It must be no longer than 2,000 words (excluding empirical appendices and references).
3. The Examination will take place during the second assessment period [May/June] and will consist of an unseen two hour paper that will contribute the remaining 50% of the final mark for this module. Students must write 2 answers in total.

1. Approaches to Indian history;
2. rebellion and resistance in British India with particular focus on the Great Rebellion, 1857-58;
3. the consolidation of British rule between 1858 and 1914;
4. the impact of socio-religious reform movements;
5. the Indian economy during colonial rule with special emphasis on the de-industrialisation debates;
6. changes in the role and status of women;
7. the early Congress and the nationalist movement under Gandhi’s leadership;
8. the rise of communalism and partition of India.

 The prescribed texts are:

 Judith Brown,  Modern India: The Origins of an Asian Democracy, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985)

OR

Sekhar Bandopadhyay, From Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India, (Hyderabad: Orient Longman, 2004)

The books mentioned above provide a broad survey of modern Indian history. No single textbook on Indian history covers evenly all the topics that receive attention in this module. During the course of the year, you should be consulting articles and other books given in individual reading lists for different topics. There are other good textbooks which can also be accessed for succinct summaries of historical debates and on various aspects of Indian social, economic, political and cultural history. They are:

 Bipan Chandra, (et al), India's Struggle for Independence, (Penguin, 1989) (as indicated in the title this book covers the nationalist period only and gives elite history an exhaustive treatment).

Crispin Bates Subalterns and the Raj, (Anthem, 2008), good for subaltern histories

H. Kulke & D. Rothermund,    A History of India, (London and New York, Routledge, 1992) (very broad survey from ancient to modern Indian periods of history).

Sumit Sarkar, Modern India, 1885-1947, (London, Macmillan, 1985) (a detailed study of specific subaltern movements, nothing on women and gender).

Metcalf & Metcalf  A Concise History of India, (Cambridge, CUP), £12. (good overview)

Burton Stein, History of India, (London, Blackwell, 1997) (in-depth, analytical and erudite, although limited topics).

Stanley Wolpert, A New History of India, (Oxford, O.U.P., 1997) (Chapters 14 to 23 treat the topics of Indian modernisation well, with 2 chapters on the impact of the world wars on the Indian economy)

Peter Robb,  A History of India, (New York, Palgrave, 2002). (Brief but good for modern period of Indian history especially on the ‘economy’).