डॉ. बी. आर. अम्बेडकर विश्वविद्यालय दिल्ली 
| Course Type | Course Code | No. Of Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Discipline Core | NA | 4 |
Course coordinator and team: Rachna Mehra and Geetanjali Tyagi
Course Details:
- Summary
This course will go beyond the chronological classification of history and look at the changes from thematic perspective of region, polity, economy, society and culture in the early and medieval period in the Indian subcontinent. Apart from discussing sources, periodisation in history and state formation, it will focus on developments in the agrarian economy and surplus extraction through reconstitution of land revenue administration, the growth of urban centres, developments in technology and invention of new crafts through specialized production centres that gave an impetus to competitive overland and overseas oceanic trade and commercial activities. The course further offers an entry point into the study of various social beliefs and cultural practices, literary influences and introduction of styles within the field of art and architecture during this period.
Objectives
- To get introduced to periodisation and perspectives on historical developments during early and medieval India.
- To gain an understanding of Indian history through various entry points such as culture, economy, society and polity.
- The students will also be familiarised with a wide range of themes and source material in history
Expected Learning Outcome:
- On the completion of the course, students will
- Gain a critical understanding of various historical processes beginning from early to late medieval
- India.They will learn how to engage with various sources and methods of reading and writing history
Overall structure:
This course is organized around five units.
|
|
Topic |
Duration |
|
1. |
Region, periodization and sources |
2 weeks |
|
2. |
Polity and administration |
3 weeks |
|
3. |
Networks of trade and economy |
3 weeks |
|
4 |
Society, culture, beliefs and practices |
2 weeks |
|
5. |
Literature, art and architecture |
2 weeks |
Contents
Unit 1. Region, periodisation and sources
The introductory unit will familiarise students to the regional extent of the Indian subcontinent in ancient period.
Required Readings
- Basham, A. L. The Wonder that Was India (1971) Rizvi S.A.A The Wonder that was lndia ll (p.xvii
- Singh Upinder, A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India, 2008 (pp.1-40) Irfan Habib, Medieval India: The Study of a Civilization. 2008.
- Tony Joseph, Early Indians – The Story of our Ancestors and Where we came from (pp.1-30)
Unit 2. Polity and administration
This unit will trace the roots of the organised political system in Indian history.
Required Readings
- Romila Thapar, Early India from the Beginnings to 1300, London, 2002. (pp.98-174, 363-441)
- Sastri, K. A. N. ed., History of South India, OUP, 1966 (pp.110-140, 241-303) Sunil Kumar, Emergence of the Delhi Sultanate 2010 (Introduction)
- Satish Chandra, A history of Medieval India, 2004.
Unit 3. Networks of trade and economy
This unit will look at the rural urban transition.
Required Readings
- R. Champakalakshmi, Trade. Ideology and urbanisation : South India 300 BC- AD 1300, 1996. pp. 203-310.
- Ranabir Chakrabarti, Trade and Traders in early Indian Society, 2007, pp.35-74
- K.N. Chaudhuri, Trade and Civilization in the Indian Ocean, 1985. (pp.1-63) J F Richards,
- The Mughal Empire 1993 (pp. 185-204)
- Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Connected History: Essays and arguments (introduction)
- Sajal Nag, The Mughals and North East:Encounter and Assimilation in Medieval India 2023
Unit 4: Society, culture, beliefs and practices
The module will discuss Vedic and Sanagm literature, oral and folk traditions, theistic cults, tantricism, emergence of Buddhism and Jainism in ancient India.
Required Readings
D D Kosambi, The culture and civilization of Ancient India in a historical outline (Chapter 1&2)
Ambedkar B R, Who were the Shudras? 1949 Linda Hess and Sukhdev, The Bijak of Kabir
Krishna Sharma, Bhakti and Bhakti movement: A new perspective 2003. Kumkum Roy, ed. Women in Early Indian Societies 2011 (select chapter)
Raziuddin Aquil, Sufism, culture and politics, 2012.
W.H. McLeod, Karine Schomer, et al, Eds, The Sants.
S.A.A. Rizvi, A History of Sufism in India, Vol. I.
Nicholas Dirks, The Original Caste: Power, History and Hierarchy in South Asia (introduction)
Unit 5. Literature, art and architecture
The last module will focus on the development of literature, art and material culture under the patronage of various rulers.
Required Readings
David Shulman, Tamil: a biography, 2016 (introduction)
H. P. Ray Winds of Change, 1994.
Susan Huntington, The Art of Ancient India: Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, New York, 1985 Catherine Asher - Architecture of Mughal India. 2008, (pp.1-40)
Indu Banga, The City in Indian History (select Chapters)
Yogesh Sharma and Pius Malekandathil Cities in Medieval India (select chapters) Richard M. Eaton, ed., India’s Islamic Traditions.
Sir John Marshall, The Buddhist Art of Gandhara; the Story of the Early School, its Birth, growth and Decline.
Bellina, Bérénice (2014). "Southeast Asia and the Early Maritime Silk Road". In Guy, John (ed.). Lost Kingdoms of Early Southeast Asia: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture 5th to 8th century pp.22-25
T Raatan: History, Religion and culture of North East India 2005.
Pedagogy:
- Instructional design
The course will be primarily conducted as a seminar. Students are expected to read and come for a discussion in class
- Special needs (facilities,requirements in terms of software, studio, lab, clinic, library, classroom/others instructional space; any other – please specify) None
- Expertise in AUD faculty or outside
The AUD faculty has the expertise to teach the course.
- Linkages with external agencies (e.g., with research institutions and field-based organizations; any others) none
Assessment structure (modes and frequency of assessments) The course will have three types of assessment situations.
- Essay based on first and second module (30%) (Students will be evaluated on the introduction, inclusion of content based on readings, arguments and conclusion)
- Presentation and written work after a field visit (30%) (The presentation should be clear, engaging and relevant to the module. The written work should be coherent and demonstrate engagement with class material and ideas)
- Summative Exam/ class assignment (40% )