Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Modern Indian Historiography Syllabus - Mumbai University 2026

Module 1: Foundations of Modern Indian Historiography

• a Historiography in the Indian Context- Meaning, nature, scope, and significance of historiography; difference between history and historiography
• b Growth of Modern Historical Writing in India, Emergence of modern historiography under colonial rule; interaction between colonial knowledge and Indian intellectual traditions
• c Towards Indian-Centred Historiography, Shift from colonial narratives to indigenous interpretations; need for inclusive and people-oriented history

Module 2: Colonial Historiography and Indian Intellectual Response

• a Colonial Interpretations of Indian History, Orientalist understanding of Indian society, culture, and past; portrayal of ancient India through texts and religion
• b Imperialist and Utilitarian Historical Writing, Colonial views on Indian civilization, social institutions, and governance; history as an instrument of colonial administration
• c Indian Critique of Colonial Historiography, Early Indian intellectual responses to colonial historical narratives; emergence of Indian viewpoints challenging colonial distortions

Module 3: Indian Schools of Historiography

• a Nationalist Historiography, Reconstruction of India’s past, Emphasis on political unity, Cultural continuity, and national pride
• b Marxist Historiography in India, Interpretation of Indian history through class relations, Emphasis on economic structures, material conditions, and social relations., Analysis of social change, class struggle, and historical transformation
• c Post-colonial and Subaltern Approaches, Indian critique of Eurocentrism in colonial and nationalist,

Module 4: Marginalized Voices and New Directions in Indian Historiography

• a Dalit historiography –Caste as a category of historical analysis, Resistance against caste oppression and social emancipation through the ideas of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
• b Tribal and Women’s Historiography, colonial ethnographic documentation, feminist perspectives that highlight agency, resistance, and social structures.
• c New Directions: Digital archives and alternative sources, Interdisciplinary methods in history writing, Oral sources.

Text Books

• 1 Ali, B. Sheik, (2008), History: Its theory and method, Macmillan India, New Delhi.
• 2 Ali, B. Sheik, (2012), History and historiography, Macmillan India, New Delhi.
• 3 Bannerjee, S., (2016), Historiography: Concepts and methods, K. P. Bagchi & Company, Kolkata.
• 4 Bhattacharya, S., (2014), The historical turn in Indian historiography, Primus Books, New Delhi.
• 5 Habib Irfan, (1995), Essays in Indian historiography, Tulika Books, New Delhi.
• 6 Mukherjee, S., (2009), Historians and historiography in modern India, Pearson Longman, Delhi.

Reference Books

• Ambedkar, B. R., (1948), The untouchables: Who were they and why they became untouchables, Thacker & Co., Bombay.
• Arnold, D., (1984), Rebellious hillmen: The Gudem–Rampa uprisings, 1839–1924, Oxford University Press, Delhi.
• Arnold, D., (2000), History and power: The politics of culture in colonial India, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
• Basu, A., (1995), Women’s movements in India, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
• Béteille, A., (1998), Tribes and castes, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
• Brass, P. R., (2016), The politics of India since independence (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• Chakrabarty, D., (2000), Provincializing Europe: Postcolonial thought and historical difference, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
• Chakrabarty, D., (2015), The calling of history: Sir Jadunath Sarkar and his empire of truth, Permanent Black, Ranikhet.
• Chandra, B., (1988), India’s struggle for independence, 1857–1947, Penguin Books, New Delhi.
• Chandra, B., (1997), Nationalism and colonialism in modern India, Orient Longman, New Delhi.
• Chakravarti, U., (2003), Gendering caste: Through a feminist lens, Stree Publications, Kolkata.
• Dirks, N. B., (2001), Castes of mind: Colonialism and the making of modern India, Princeton University Press, Princeton.
• Forbes, G., (1996), Women in modern India, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• Ghurye, G. S. (1963). The scheduled tribes. Popular Prakashan, Bombay.
• Guha, R., (1982), Subaltern studies I: Writings on South Asian history and society, Oxford University Press, Delhi.
• Guha, R., (1989), The unquiet woods: Ecological change and peasant resistance in the Himalaya. Oxford University Press, Delhi.
• Guha, R. (1997). Dominance without hegemony. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
• Guha, R., (2007), India after Gandhi: The history of the world’s largest democracy, Picador, London.
• Guha, R., (2010), Makers of modern India, Penguin/Allen Lane, New Delhi.
• Hardiman, D., (1987), The coming of the Devi: Adivasi assertion in western India, Oxford University Press, Delhi.
• Hardiman, D., (1992), Peasant resistance in India, Oxford University Press, Delhi.
• Iggers, G. G., Wang, Q. E., & Mukherjee, S., (2013), A global history of modern historiography. Pearson Education, London.
• Kosambi, D. D., (1956), An introduction to the study of Indian history. Popular Prakashan, Bombay.
• Kumar, R., (1993), The history of doing: An illustrated account of movements for women’s rights and feminism in India, Kali for Women, New Delhi.
• Lal, V., (2003), The history of history: Politics and scholarship in modern India. Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
• Menon, N., (2012), Seeing like a feminist, Zubaan, New Delhi.
• Metcalf, B., & Metcalf, T. R., (2006), A concise history of modern India (2nd ed.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• Metcalf, T. R., (1995), Ideologies of the Raj, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• Mungekar, B. L., (2009), Adivasi movements in Maharashtra, Rawat Publications, Jaipur.
• Nandy, A., (1995), The intimate enemy: Loss and recovery of self under colonialism, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
• Omvedt, G., (1994), Gender and caste: The legacy of Jyotirao Phule, Kali for Women, New Delhi.
• Pandey, G., (1990), The construction of communalism in colonial North India, Oxford University Press, Delhi.
• Ray, B., (Ed.), (2005). Women of India: Colonial and post-colonial periods, Sage Publications, New Delhi.
• Rege, S., (2013), Against the madness of Manu: B. R. Ambedkar’s writings on Brahmanical patriarchy, Navayana, New Delhi.
• Sangari, K., & Vaid, S. (Eds.), (1989), Recasting women: Essays in Indian colonial history, Kali for Women, New Delhi.
• Sarkar, S., (1983), Modern India 1885–1947, Macmillan, New Delhi.
• Sarkar, S., (1997), Writing social history, Oxford University Press, Delhi.
• Sen, S., (2008), Historiography of modern India, Pearson Longman, Delhi.
• Singh, K. S., (1985), Tribal movements in India, Manohar Publications, New Delhi.
• Singh, K. S., (1992), People of India: An introduction, Oxford University Press, Delhi.
• Spivak, G. C., (1988). In other worlds: Essays in cultural politics. Routledge, New York.
• Sridharan, K., (2004), A textbook of historiography, 500 B.C. to A.D. 2000, Orient Longman, New Delhi.
• Sridharan, K., (2010), Historiography: Trends and approaches, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
• Thapar, R. (2000). Cultural pasts: Essays in early Indian history. Oxford University Press, Delhi.
• Thapar, R., (2014), The historian and her craft, Aleph Book Company, New Delhi.
• Tharu, S., & Lalita, K. (Eds.). (1991). Women writing in India: 600 B.C. to the present (Vol. 1). Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
• Xaxa, V., (2008), State, society, and tribes: Issues in post-colonial India, Pearson Longman, New Delhi.
• Xaxa, V., (2014), Sociology of tribes, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
• Zelliot, E., (1992), From untouchable to Dalit, Manohar, New Delhi.