Contemporary India

We begin this course by discussing the history of pre-partition India i.e. before 1947. We will trace the trajectory of British rule from its inception in India and discuss important events like the mutiny of 1857, the formation of the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League, the divide and rule policy of the British, the idea of separate electorates and how it paved the way for partition in the subcontinent. You will be able to appreciate the devastation that partition brought to the region with millions of people killed, displaced and made refugees overnight. We will try to impress upon the fact that such a momentous event in world history, which involved ethnic cleansing in huge numbers, has been almost forgotten or is not remembered often enough; nor are the lessons learnt. The week concludes by discussing how partition still continues to affect community relations, relations between states and the very foundational ideas of the two nations: India and Pakistan.

This week we will cover the post-independence politics of India from 1948 to 2014. It will discuss the various leaders especially the contribution of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi to Indian polity. You will get an idea about how India went about its task of nation building and the various challenges it confronted along the way. The section will also cover the dominance of the Congress party and the factors that led to its downfall in recent times. The debates about linguistic states, affirmative action, secularism and the changing nature of Indian federalism will be discussed. You should be able to appreciate the reasons as to why, even with all its shortcomings, India remains an exemplar of robust democracy unlike most other post-colonial countries.

This section will look at the trajectory of India's economic development. It has changed from a state-led economic development model to the one where through a series of a reforms the economy has become more pro-business and market-friendly. You will be introduced to the basic features of first and second-generation reforms, the transformation of the economy since India liberalized in 1991 and the challenges of poverty and job creation that still needs to be tackled.

As India's influence increases in the international system, understanding its foreign policy and its engagement with the rest of the world is critical for students of international relations. This section is designed as a comprehensive review of some of the key issues related to India's word view and its behaviour towards the external world. Apart from taking stock of contemporary thinking and policies of the country, the major thrust would be on India's relations with its neighbours and great powers, its nuclear weapons policy and the ideological foundations of its foreign policy after independence.