CIVILIZATION OF INDIA
Fulfills Perspectives-History requirement
and Human Diversity co-curricular requirement

HIST 2390-001
MWF 10AM-10:50—102 Dallas Hall
Prof. Azfar Moin—64 Dallas Hall—214-768-2980   amoin@smu.edu

The name “India” comes from the name ancient Greeks and Persians gave to the lands east of the river “Indus,” which flows today in Pakistan. This course provides an introduction to the history and diverse cultures of this vast region, now referred to as South Asia or the Indian Subcontinent, from the third millennium BCE to the modern day. In the first third of the course, we will study India’s early past, the historical questions concerning its “Aryan” origins, its place and dealings with the ancient world, and the beginnings of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain religious traditions. In the second third, we will examine the advent of Islam in the eighth century CE, the rise of Indo-Muslim dynasties, and the formation of a distinctive Indo-Persian culture, symbolized today by the iconic Taj Mahal. In the last third, we will assess the influence of Europe, the era of British imperialism and colonialism, and its twentieth century legacy of nation-states – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives. Throughout the course, students will also learn how questions of history and culture shape identities and animate public life in contemporary South Asia.

Readings include: 1) Thomas R. Trautmann, India: Brief History of a Civilization; 2) Amartya Sen, The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity; 3) Diane P. Mines and Sarah Lamb, eds.  Everyday Life in South Asia; 4) Amitav Ghosh, In an Antique Land: History in the Guise of a Traveler’s Tale; 5) Khuswant Singh, Train to Pakistan.