HIS-30095 - Module Specification
School of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2022/23

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

Students must take HIS-30094 Religion, Rebellion and the Raj:The Partition of India I,

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2022/23

In August 1947 British India was partitioned to create two independent countries, India and Pakistan. This partition resulted in an estimated one million deaths and the largest migration of people in modern history. What were the forces which led to the Partition of India in 1947: British policy; Muslim separatism or the unitary impulses of Indian nationalism? Who sought partition? Was it inevitable? We will explore these questions through an analysis of the turning points in the run up to partition in 1947. We will look at how partition was actually negotiated and why. We will look at the main players in the negotiations, evaluate their actions and voices through primary material. We will also explore the impotance of historical actors hidden from the primary material and conventional accounts in the story of partition and reassess their place in the narrative. The module will involve a deep reading of primary documents and class discussion.

Why was British India partitioned in 1947? This module aims to examine the main turning points in the run up to the partition of India 1947. Through the analysis of primary material students will be introduced to the main historical actors, themes and events before partition, critically assess their historical significance and understand the debates surrounding minority and majoritarian rights in colonial India.

Intended Learning Outcomes

develop an understanding of the causes and consequences of the partition of India in 1947, the complexities of the concerns which drove the process of decolonisation in the Indian subcontinent and the emergence of communal conflict in the Indian subcontinent: 1,2
develop the ability to critically read and assess primary materials and to judge their historical significance: 1,2
develop the ability to evaluate and critically assess secondary sources and historiographical debates, and to use them appropriately in the development of historical analysis: 1,2
develop the ability to consider the relationship between contemporary debates on communalism and nation building with their historical context: 1,2

Study hours

150 hours: 10 x 2 hour seminars, 2 hour exam, 48 hours seminar preparation, 46 hours document commentary preparation, 34 hours preparation for exam.

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment