Rulers, Reformers, Radicals: History of India in Two Centuries

This course traces the cultural, religious, literary, and political lineages of India during the last two centuries. It investigates the conditions and impact of colonialism in the formation of the contemporary subcontinent. In doing so, the course examines the ways in which Indians changed their society, culture, and identities as they became entwined with colonial, imperial, and global forces. Over the course of the quarter, we will address the following questions: What was the nature of colonial rule in India? How did the process of colonization shape questions of gender and class, race and caste in India? In societies as diverse as India, is anticolonialism synonymous with nationalism?