2021/22 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

HIST5841M India since 1947: Community, Caste and Political Violence

30 creditsClass Size: 10

Module manager: Prof William Gould
Email: W.R.Gould@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2021/22

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module will allow students to study one of the largest and most diverse democracies in the world. It will investigate the key problems faced by Indian governments and civil society, as the country emerged from colonialism in 1947, and will ask how far those problems were a legacy of India's imperial past. - What was the nature of the Nehruvian state and how far did it fulfil the promises of economic development, gender and social equality? - Why was India's political stability so apparently fragile from the 1970s? - And how do we account for the rise of extremist parties of the right since the 1980s? Themes covered will include: Indian ideas about race, ethnicity and caste in the twentieth century, poverty and 'development', the nature of Congress's 'dynastic', dominance, regional separatism from Kashmir to linguistic movements in the South, religious violence, the 'Emergency' under Indira Gandhi, 'caste' and the politics of reservations, the rise of low caste political movements and the resurgence of right wing Hindu nationalism from the 1980s, gender politics, migration since 1947, economic liberalisation, nuclear conflict with Pakistan and Hindu nationalism and the rise of the Hindu right in India.

Objectives

On completion of this module, students should:
- have developed an appreciation for, and critical awareness of, the distinctive history of the Indian subcontinent since 1947;
- be familiar with debates surrounding Indian society, caste and religious community in the subcontinent;
- be familiar with the most important historical and contemporary political writings on the period;
- have developed further the ability to construct lucid, cogent arguments that engage with historiography and utilize primary sources.

Learning outcomes
Will develop the skills listed below:
- high-level skills in oral and written communication of complex ideas;
- independence of mind and self-discipline and self-direction to work effectively under own initiative;
- ability to locate, handle and synthesize large amounts of information;
- ability to employ analytical, problem-solving abilities;
- ability to engage constructively with the ideas of their peers, tutors and published sources;
- empathy and active engagement with different cultural contexts.

Skills outcomes
Will develop the skills listed below:
- high-level skills in oral and written communication of complex ideas;
- independence of mind and self-discipline and self-direction to work effectively under own initiative;
- ability to locate, handle and synthesize large amounts of information;
- ability to employ analytical, problem-solving abilities;
- ability to engage constructively with the ideas of their peers, tutors and published sources;
- empathy and active engagement with different cultural contexts.

Syllabus

- The shape of Indian society and politics: colonial legacies and social change
- The Nehruvian state: community, society and politics after independence; Indira Gandhi and the Emergency, 1969 - 1984
- Poverty, economic 'development' and social inequality
- Gender and politics in India; Religion and communal violence since 1947
- Regional separatism, 1948 - 1980s: Kashmir, Hyderabad, Assam and the Punjab; 'Caste' and the politics of reservations
- Indians in diaspora; Indo-Pakistan nuclear crisis; Hindu nationalism and the rise of the Hindu right.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Seminar	11	2.00	22.00
Private study hours			278.00
Total Contact hours			22.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			300.00

Private study

Researching, preparing and writing assignments; undertaking set reading; and reading around the topic. 278 hours

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Contributions to class discussions, assessed and/or non-assessed written exercises.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	1 x 2,000 word assessed essay to be submitted by 12 noon, Monday of teaching week 8	33.00
Essay	1 x 4,000 word assessed essay to be submitted by 12 noon, Monday of examination week 1	67.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 30/06/2021 15:57:34

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