Historical Thinking in South Asia A Handbook of Sources from Colonial Times to the Present

by Gottlob, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780195662177
• ISBN10: 0195662172
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-09-25
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This is a sourcebook of historical culture in Modern South Asia, an extremely relevant work in the context of the ongoing debate on history writing. It informs about the many ways of dealing with the past as expressed in the works of prominent figures from different regional, religious, and social backgrounds and with divergent political orientation and ideological outlook.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Acknowledgements	xiv
Introduction	1	(90)
SOURCES
1. India and Europe: Forms of Approaching and Distancing in the Historicized World	91	(37)
1.1 Western Indology and the Construction of the Ahistorical Orient: Orientalism, Utilitarianism, Comparative History of Culture	91	(16)
William Jones: On the Hindus (1786)	94	(5)
James Mill: The History of British India (1817)	99	(5)
F. Max Müller: India-What Can It Teach Us? (1883)	104	(3)
1.2 The Self-Assurance of Indian Traditions: Reform, Renaissance, Revival	107	(21)
Rammohun Roy: To the Believers of the Only True God (1816)	110	(2)
Rammohun Roy: Suttee as a Religious Rite (1830)	112	(4)
Dayanand Sarasvati: Light of Truth (1884)	116	(4)
Swami Vivehananda: Modern India (1899)	120	(6)
Sayyid Ahmad Khan: Principles of Exegesis (1880-95)	126	(2)
2. The Agenda of a Modern Indian Historiography	128	(67)
2.1 History as an Object of Research	128	(11)
R. G. Bhandarkar: The Critical, Comparative, and Historical Method of Inquiry (1888)	131	(4)
Shibli Numani: The Element of History (1898)	135	(4)
2.2 In Quest of a Perspective: Patriotism, Nationalism, Communalism	139	(32)
Bankimchandra Chatterjee: A Few Words about the History of Bengal (1882-3)	142	(2)
Bankimchandra Chatterjee: Anandamath (1882)	144	(5)
B. G. Tilak: Karma Yoga and Swaraj (c.1917)	149	(2)
V. D. Savarkar: The Indian War of Independence (1909)	151	(2)
V. D. Savarkar: Hindutva (1923)	153	(4)
K. P. Jayaswal: Hindu Polity (1924)	157	(4)
R. C. Majumdar: Ancient Indian Colonization in the Far East (1940)	161	(3)
M. Iqbal: Pakistan Speech (1930)	164	(5)
B. R. Ambedkar: Aren't the Untouchables a Separate Element? (1945)	169	(2)
2.3 Conceptualizations of Temporal Change: Kaliyuga, Progress, Revolution	171	(24)
Harishchandra of Benares: How can India be Reformed? (1884)	173	(3)
D. Naoroji: Poverty and Un-British Rule in India (1901)	176	(3)
M. G. Ranade: Revival and Reform (1897)	179	(4)
R. C. Dutt: The Economic History of India (1902-4)	183	(4)
M. N. Roy: India in Transition (1922)	187	(3)
J. Nehru: India's Growth Arrested (1944)	190	(3)
R. Palme Dutt: The Awakening of India (1940)	193	(2)
3. Resistant Traditions, Alternative Histories, Idiosyncrasies	195	(22)
R. Tagore: Nationalism in India (1917)	198	(5)
Aurobindo Ghose: The Advent and Progress of the Spiritual Age (1918-49)	203	(5)
A. K. Coomaraswamy: What has India Contributed to Human Welfare? (1915)	208	(4)
M. K. Gandhi: Hind Swaraj-Indian Self Rule (1909)	212	(5)
4. After Colonialism: Historical Thinking in Contemporary South Asia	217	(68)
4.1 Objectivity, Prejudice, and the Call for Indian Frameworks of Interpretation	217	(8)
R. Thapar: The Past and Prejudice (1975)	219	(4)
D. Devahuti: Problems of Indian Historiography (1979)	223	(2)
4.2 Unity and Diversity, Particularity and Universality	225	(24)
4.2.1 World History, National History, Regional History	225	(7)
K. M. Panikkar: Asia and Western Dominance (1953)	226	(5)
K. A. Nilakanta Sastri: A History of South India (1947)	231	(1)
4.2.2 Communalism and Secularism	232	(10)
S. Gopal et al.: The Political Abuse of History (1989)	235	(4)
Vishva Hindu Parishall: Summary of the Ram Janmabhoomi Evidence (1991)	239	(3)
4.2.3 Muslim History in India and Pakistan	242	(7)
A. H. Ali Nadwi: India during Muslim Rule (1977)	244	(3)
I. H. Qureshi: Lost Opportunities (1979)	247	(2)
4.3 Tradition and Modernity, Continuity and Change	249	(14)
Planning Commission: The Problem of Development (1953)	251	(2)
M. N. Srinivas: A Note on Sanskritization and Westernization (1956)	253	(4)
D. D. Kosambi: The Difficulties Facing the Historian (1964)	257	(3)
R. S. Sharma: Problem of Transition from Ancient to Medieval in Indian History (1974)	260	(3)
4.4 Critique of the Western Concept of History and Development: The Dignity of Non-Modern Peoples	263	(9)
N. Verma: The Past: A Self-Contemplation (1976)	264	(5)
A. Nandy: Towards a Third World Utopia (1978-87)	269	(3)
4.5 Subalternity and Agency, Fragmentation and Globalization	272	(13)
R. Guha: On Some Aspects of the Historiography of Colonial India (1982)	273	(7)
U. Chakravarti: Towards a New Understanding of Gender Relations in Early Indian History (1988)	280	(3)
M. Gadgil and R. Guha: Cultures in Conflict (1993)	283	(2)
Glossary	285	(4)
Abbreviations	289	(1)
Bibliography	290	(19)
Index	309