MODERN SOUTH ASIA

Catalog description

This course examines the historical roots of two of the most pressing social issues of contemporary India – religious nationalism/sectarianism and caste based discrimination/violence. It begins by understanding the role of British colonial rule in defining India's modernity including group based identity formations. Thereafter it examines the evolution of religion and caste based politics from the colonial period into the post independence period, with multiple ramifications from nation formation to everyday violence. Throughout the course we will be discussing the ideas and works of some of the most influential intellectuals and political activists from the Indian subcontinent, such as Ambedkar, Gandhi, Jinnah, Iqbal, and Manto. 001527