Chapter-2

Major Approaches to the History of Modern India

Short notes (prelims perspective)
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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

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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

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