Modern South Asia

The course will discuss the following themes: the fragmentation of the Mughal Empire; the emergence of the East India Company as the primary political power on the subcontinent; transformations in politics, economy and society under British colonial rule; the emergence of social and religious reform movements in the 19th century; changes in caste hierarchies and practices; the emergence of anti-imperialist nationalisms; independence and the partition of British India into Pakistan and India; and society and politics in post-independence South Asia.