Unit information: Resistance and Nationalism (Level I Special Field) in 2012/13

Unit name	Resistance and Nationalism (Level I Special Field)
Unit code	HIST20026
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Saha
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	HIST23008
School/department	Department of History (Historical Studies)
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

At the turn of the twentieth century the whole of South and Southeast Asia, with a few exceptions such as Thailand, was divided up between the Western Imperial powers: the British, the French, the Dutch and the Americans. By the 1970s these formal empires had been replaced by independent nation states. But this seemingly straightforward story of a transfer of power from imperial rulers to nationalist leaders belies the complexities of anticolonial resistance. Resistance took many different forms; from outright violent rebellion to the clothes people wore. Resistance also came from different quarters: such as peasants, highland societies, middle-class elites, women, and religious communities. Some of these groups often had difficult and tense relationships with the mainstream nationalist movements. In this unit we will explore the diversity and divisions of opposition to colonialism in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, as well as critically examining historians’ attempts to understand anti-colonial resistance.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the unit students should have:

• identified, analysed, and deepened their understanding of the significance of key themes in the history of colonial resistance movements and the politics of nationalism.
• understood the historiographical debates that surround the topic
• learned how to work with primary sources
• developed their skills in contributing to and learning from discussion in a small-group environment

Teaching Information

Weekly 2-hour seminar Access to tutorial consultation with unit tutor in office hours

Assessment Information

2-hour unseen written examination (summative, 100%)

The examination will assess their understanding of the unit’s key themes, the related historiography as developed during their reading and participation in / learning from small group seminars, and relevant primary sources. Further assessment of their handling of the relevant primary sources will be provided by the co-requisite Special Field Project (HIST 23008)

Reading and References

Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism.

Partha Chatterjee, The Nation and Its Fragments: Colonial and Postcolonial Histories.

Ranajit Guha, Elementary Aspects of Peasant Insurgency in Colonial India.

James C. Scott, The Moral Economy of the Peasant: Rebellion and Subsistence in Southeast Asia.

Michael Adas, Prophets of Rebellion: Millenarian Protest Movements Against the European Colonial Order.

Vinayak Chaturvedi (eds), Mapping Subaltern Studies and the Postcolonial.