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| News for 2-5-01 |
Next week in brief:
Discussion of Autobiography passages
assigned for last week, working in pairs. More
ERes, Wolpert, Chapters 17-19.
Though we will be discussing these chapters on Indian history
as secondary literature, they are necessary for you to do the
Gandhi film assignment. We will hit the highlights of the Indian
independence movement as narrated in these chapters. More
| Having trouble with ERes? Remember that all readings except for the MSWord files (such as the Gita) are available on regular print reserve. You can photocopy them. |
Discussion
of first part of "Hind Swaraj," in Penguin Gandhi Reader.
Introduction and pp. 1-41. This is the most important reading
of the week. Please write your DISCUSSION STARTER PARAGRAPH on
this reading. More It's a good idea to get started
viewing the film, which we'll be discussing in class NEXT week
(Feb. 12). A description of the paper on the film (which basically
serves as your midterm) is posted on the site.Look for more Notes and Questions
on these materials in the next few days.We'll read more Gita for the February
12 class.Where's class next week? We'll
meet in the old room. When you arrive, please rearrange the tables
in a more compact way that will allow us to sit closer and still
enable yours truly to get to that nasty whiteboard.
Autobiography: I'll ask you to work in pairs to present the sections of the autobiography to the rest of the class. I'll also ask you to pick an unassigned passage to present to the class, so have something picked out before coming to class.
Wolpert: Obviously
you don't need to know all the details of the history of the Indian
nationalist and independence movements, but think about the big
picture and the major players.
[CHAPTER SEVENTEEN]
Q: Why does Wolpert maintain that the British in effect created
Indian nationalism? Is this true of other nationalisms you know
about?
Note: References to 1857, the so-called "Mutiny" or
revolt of Indian soldiers.
Q: What measures did the British take to make certain classes of Indians less alienated from colonial rule? How did those measures succeed?
Q: Looking at the list of the
following early nationalist leaders, what can you say about what
part of society they came from and how that might have shaped
the movement?
Gokhale
Tilak (Notice the origins of the term "swaraj" and Tilak's
use of the Gita)
Naoroji
Aurobindo Ghose (later "Sri Aurobindo")
Annie Besant
Dayanand Sarasvati
Sir Sayyad Amjad Khan
Q:How he following legal measures
provide an index of the quality of British rule in India?
the Lytton Act of 1878
the Ilbert Bill on Criminal Jurisdiction of 1883
Q: Until recently the dominant political party in India was the Congress Party which inherited the prestige of the strongest pre-independence nationalist organization, the Indian National Congress. Who were the members and what were the goals of the Congress?
[CHAPTER EIGHTEEN]
Note: Because during the
later colonial period (from the "Mutiny" till Independence)
India had a special status within the British Empire, its colonial
rules also had special names. Queen Victoria was "Empress
of India," and the direct ruler was called the "Viceroy,"
roy meaning "king." The various huge provinces of India
(such as Bombay and Madras) were headed by British governors.
Both the Viceroy and the Governors were advised and assisted by
Legislative Councils, to which Indians were slowly and grudgingly
added.
Q: Why does Wolpert call this chapter "The Machine Solidifies"?
What solidified during 1885-1905?
Q: What economic factors increased the colonial exploitation of
India?
Q: Describe the rule of Lord Curzon. What were his main projects
for India? Why did he divide the province of Bengal? What was
the immediate effect? You might also be aware of the long term
effect, which is still very with us today.
Term: swadeshi.
[CHAPTER NINETEEN]
Q: How are the histories
of Indian nationalism and Indian industrial development intertwined?
Q: Against the Congress Party approach, a new style of agitation
for independence consolidated in the New Party. Compare the Indian
National Congress in membership and strategies for Independence.
Q: What roles did Kitchener and Morley play in the "Government
of India"?
segue: Almost as if a master epic dramatists had constructed the plot, the end of this area is marked by George V's coronation visit to India, the reunification of Bengal, and the movement of the capital from Calcutta, the great city built by British trade and military rule, to Delhi, the old Mughal capital. The plan was to build a new capital next to the Mughal imperial city, to be designed by the British architect Sir Edward Luytens in a style both Indian and European. An important reason for the move was to establish a new seat of power far from the organized nationalism in Calcutta, the biggest and most culturally dynamic city of the period. Does all this sound like a colonial government about ready to set free their "jewel"? Then . . .
It is just about this time
that Gandhi writes the fundamental document of his career. It
is a complete analysis of the meaning of colonialism, the nature
of nationalism in the Indian setting, and the theory and practice
of non-violent political action.
GANDHI,
HIND SWARAJ, pp. 1-41. (in The Penguin Gandhi Reader. The
Introduction to the book is also quite valuable.)
("Indian Self-Rule" Note that the title does not mean
"Indian Independence.")
Q: How do the early chapters of Hind Swaraj shed light on some
of the events you read about in Wolpert?
Q: Describe Gandhi's ideas about the nature of colonialism: What
is the nature of the colonizer and the nature of the colonized?
Q: How does Gandhi understand Indian history?
Q: What is Gandhi's vision for an independent India?
Q: What is Gandhi's critique of European civilization and his
understanding of the true nature and destiny of India?
There are dozens
of issues in this essay, any one of which could be chosen for
your Discussion Starter.