Modern South Asia

0 or 3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course introduces students to the foundational events, concepts, and trends of historical change in Modern South Asia. The course has a particular focus on British imperialism but through subsidiary material students will familiarize themselves with the longue durée historical changes that made modern South Asia. Every week, in the discussion, students will be introduced to long-term changes in the pre-colonial period to recognize how perceptions of the pre-colonial period impacted politics in the modern period under British imperialism. The course roughly begins when the Mughal empire starts tottering and ends with India’s liberalization of its economy, covering the pre-colonial period in brief, the colonial period, nationalist mobilization, partition, decolonization, and the vicissitudes of India’s democracy. Through this course, students will get a strong foundation in South Asian history and politics which will enable them to further explore the complex and diverse landscape that is South Asia.