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Major Approaches in Modern Indian History

This document outlines 8 major approaches to studying the history of modern India: 1) Colonial, 2) Nationalist, 3) Marxist, 4) Subaltern, 5) Communal, 6) Cambridge School, 7) Liberal/Neo-Liberal, and 8) Feminist. It provides brief descriptions of each approach, noting perspectives, key thinkers, and criticisms for some approaches. For example, the Colonial approach viewed India as stagnant requiring British guidance, while the Nationalist approach included Indian economist and political leaders countering British narratives.

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246 views2 pages

Major Approaches in Modern Indian History

This document outlines 8 major approaches to studying the history of modern India: 1) Colonial, 2) Nationalist, 3) Marxist, 4) Subaltern, 5) Communal, 6) Cambridge School, 7) Liberal/Neo-Liberal, and 8) Feminist. It provides brief descriptions of each approach, noting perspectives, key thinkers, and criticisms for some approaches. For example, the Colonial approach viewed India as stagnant requiring British guidance, while the Nationalist approach included Indian economist and political leaders countering British narratives.

Uploaded by

suresh kumar
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Chapter-2

Major Approaches to the History of Modern India


Short notes (prelims perspective)
[Link]

Approaches-
1. Colonial approach-
2 senses-
 I-The history of the colonial countries
 II-Works which were influenced by the colonial ideology of domination
 Certain characteristics common to most of the works of these historians are the following:
(i) ‘Orientalist’ representation of India;
(ii) The opinion that the British brought unity to India;
(iii) The notions of Social Darwinism—the English considered themselves
superior to the ‘natives’ and the fittest to rule;
(iv) India viewed as a stagnant society which required guidance from the British
(White Man’s burden); and
(v) Establishing Pax Britannica to bring law and order and peace to a bickering
society.

2. Nationalist approach-
 Economists-Dada bhai Naroji, MG Ranade, GV Joshi, RC Dutta.
 Nationalists-Jawaharlal Nehru, GK Gokhale, RC Majumdar, AC mazumdar,Pattabi
Sittaramayya

3. Marxist approach-
 Contradiction between interests of colonial masters and subject people and also internal
contradiction between the subject people
 Rajni Palme Dutta’s -India Today ( first published in 1940 in England, was later published in
India in 1947)
 A.R. Desai’s -Social Background of Indian Nationalism.( was first published in 1948)
 R.P. Dutt’s-paradigm
Criticism to R.P. Dutta -Sumit Sarkar- considers Dutta’s paradigm as a “simplistic version of the Marxian
class approach”. He looks at the nationalist leaders in the light of intelligentsia which acts as a “kind of
proxy for as yet passive social forces with which it had little organic connection”.

4. Subaltern approach-
 Contradiction between interests of elites and subaltern from 1980s.
 Criticizing INC and Nationalist elite leaders
 School of thought began- Ranjit guha

5. Communalist approach-
 Interests were mutually different and antagonistic to each other of permanent hostile
groups e.g- Hindus and Muslims

[Link] Mail ID : caredesireias@[Link] Spectrum- Modern History of India short notes


6. Cambridge school-
 Fundamental contradiction under colonial rule was among the Indians themselves.
 It takes the mind or ideals out of human behaviour and reduces nationalism to ‘animal
politics’

7. Liberal and neo-liberal interpretations-


 Economic exploitation of the colonies was not beneficial to the British people as a whole.
 India was seen as a source of raw materials and markets so lot of investments in India was
done and not in Britain.
 Hence delayed development of new small industries in Britain.

8. Feminists approach-
 Womens role in independence movements. Social atrocities, deniel of ownership
 The High Caste Hindu Woman (1887) by Pandita Ramabai,
 Mother India (1927) by Katherine Mayo

[Link] Mail ID : caredesireias@[Link] Spectrum- Modern History of India short notes

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