From Empire to Nation: Modern South Asia, c. 1857-1947

Module code: HS3699

The interaction between imperialism and nationalism was critical in shaping the history of modern South Asia. This course focuses on the British Raj in India in the century spanning the great uprising of 1857 and the declaration of Indian independence in 1947.

You’ll be exploring how British rule influenced and determined diverse aspects of Indian economy, society and public life in this period, and look at how British rule became the focus of opposition from different groups of Indians. Their resistance took myriad forms – ranging from the violence of 1857 to the non-violent modes of mass civil disobedience fashioned by Mahatma Gandhi.

Yet if Indians came together to fight the British, they were also divided by caste and religion, and this course focuses on the ramifications of these internal conflicts in the making of modern India. Most notably, the growing political divide between Hindus and Muslims culminated in the Partition of the subcontinent, whose legacy continues to haunt contemporary South Asia.