Department of History Fall 2026

HISTORY 460 Cricket Colonialism and Nationalism (Readings in World History)

A Liberal/General Studies Course in the Social and Political Worlds Block. Also fulfills the NAU Global Diversity Requirement.

 

Text Box: Instructor: SANJAY JOSHI Office: LA 206 Office Hours Tu-Thu 12:30-1:30 pm, and by appointment, please email me in advance for links for a virtual meeting E-mail: Sanjay.Joshi@nau.edu Phone: 523-6216 Meeting time: Tu-Thu 2:20-3:35 Location: LA 123 Course Web Page: https://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/HIS%20460%20Cricket%20Colonialism%20Nationalism.htm PLEASE CHECK THE LINK ABOVE FOR A COPY OF THIS SYLLABUS WITH CLICKABLE LINKS TO ELECTRONIC READINGS.

 

 

Do Check NAU’s Policy Statements: https://nau.edu/university-policy-library/syllabus-requirements/

 

“What do they know of cricket who only cricket know.” C. L. R. James

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

To understand the sport, one has to locate cricket in history, which cannot be separated from the histories of colonialism and nationalism. This course explores the history of the world’s second most popular sport (after soccer). An estimated one billion people (one of seven people across the world) watched the Cricket World Cup game between India and Pakistan in 2015. A bat and ball game that began in the villages of medieval England spread across the British Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries. Its spread was a direct product of the British Empire and much of its popularity was the product of nationalism (and perhaps also its decline in some parts of the world).

 

Today, cricket is a major sport in many parts of the former British Empire. Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Zimbabwe comprise the major cricket-playing countries of the world. However, it is only in the Indian subcontinent (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) that the sport is all-consuming. From the 1980s, the popularity the sport has grown exponentially in India. India’s large population, a growing economy, and communications revolution ensures that it is by far the largest market for the sport. As a result, the center of the sport has moved from older colonial elites in England and Australia to India. This course will explore the interconnections between the sport, and social, economic, cultural, and political phenomena of colonialism and nationalism from the 19th Century to the present-day. We will explore some key moments and some key figures in the history of this sport, even as we locate these histories in larger historical contexts.

 

READINGS

Book (available at the NAU Bookstore)

C. L. R. James, Beyond a Boundary (50th Anniversary Edition) Durham: Duke University Press, 2013 [reprint, original, 1963] ISBN: 978-0-8223-5563-2 This is also available as an e-book via Cline Library using the following URL https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nau-ebooks/detail.action?pq-origsite=primo&docID=1603734 You will need your NAU credentials.

 

James’ book is a classic, combining as it does his deep love for the traditions and aesthetics of the sport with a critical look at the politics of race, class, and empire. You will find it referenced in almost all scholarly work that you will read for this course. These other readings are as much a required part of the class readings as James’ book. There are direct clickable links to most of these readings available through the electronic version of this syllabus on the COURSE WEB PAGE. As a matter of habit, I urge you to visit all course-related web sites in advance and save or print the required readings. As I am sure most of you are aware, connections to web sites often fail at the very time we need them most! For that reason, having soft or hard copies of the readings in advance will prevent panic the night before class, or a few hours before!! Please note that many links require you to be logged in via an NAU domain, either from campus or via VPN.

 

STUDENT LEARNING EXPECTATIONS/OUTCOMES FOR THIS COURSE

Sixteen weeks from now, you all will have developed some sense of the complex history of the global spread of cricket from the 19th century to the present day. To help you understand this history, the course assigns a variety of readings and a few films. It is critical you complete your assigned reading and viewing before coming to class. Class discussions (and sometimes lectures) will always relate to the topics assigned but will not summarize assigned readings. Instead, our class period will be used to address your questions from the readings, and through the course of discussion, we will introduce additional material, different interpretations, and theoretical concepts that are not always in the text. I expect you to be motivated to learn about the subject and to improve your skills as a historian. I will do my best to help you understand more about the subject. But my efforts will only help if you bring a healthy curiosity and an active engagement with the contents of this course. An active engagement will allow students to:

·       Learn through discussion of texts and films, the processes through which the sport was globalized (and resisted) from the 19th Century.

·       Demonstrate, through your assignments, your grasp of the details of this complex history.

·       Demonstrate through in-class discussions and your final paper your understanding of assigned textual materials and participate in critical discussions of sources and their interpretation.

·       Demonstrate through the final paper, your ability to independently identify, research, analyze, and present information from a variety of sources: primary and secondary sources as well as information gathered from global news and scholarly sources

 

WORK HABITS: I strongly urge all students in my classes to back up their written work in multiple ways and in multiple locations. In addition to your hard drive, please back up your work on the cloud (working on or uploading regularly to Google Docs is one possibility) and an external USB-type drive. “My computer crashed” or “the file was accidentally deleted” are treated on par with excuses like “the dog ate my homework.”

 

ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course primarily uses three types of instruments to assess your achievement of the learning objectives listed above, in addition to regular participation in class activities. You must submit, a day before five of the class meetings, a response paper summarizing and evaluating the class readings and/or film assigned for the following class period. You will write one review of the film, Fire in Babylon, in the context of a longer history of Caribbean cricket in C.L.R. James’ book. You will also write one final paper on the global history of cricket but primarily focused on one topic. This could be an event, an individual, a theme (such as race, gender, class, or caste), or one region of the world. I will ask you to write a short preliminary proposal for this paper, due in Week Six, and then a more formal proposal that will be due Week Ten. I do not accept late assignments unless allowed by University policy. Health-related absences or tardiness in submitting assignments will require documentation. There will be no exams for this course.

I.                Response paper: Over the course of the semester, you need to submit at least FIVE 350–500-word response papers to the assigned readings. These are due by end of day on Monday or Wednesday (day before class) on dates noted on the schedule below. There are seven possible response papers, and you must submit at least five over the semester. If you submit more than five, I will take the best five into account. A response paper should consist of the following:

·       The central thesis of each of the articles, book chapters, or film assigned for that week (100-150 words)

·       The evidence used to support the theses, including at least one short and relevant quote from each reading or film. (150-200 words)

·       How the readings and/or film connect, and what you learnt from them collectively. (100-150 words)

Response papers will be graded out of 40 points each and together will count for a maximum of 200 points for the course.

II.             Before the end of day on November 12, you will submit a 1200-to-1500-word review of the film Fire in Babylon relating the successes of the West Indies team of the 1970s to the themes brought up by C. L. R. James in his book, Beyond a Boundary. I will be assessing your review based on both your close observation of the film and your close reading of James’ book. This assignment will be graded out of 200 points.

III.           Final Paper: Your task will be to write a formal paper on a globally connected aspect of the history of cricket.

Requirements: In addition to demonstrating your knowledge of the course material, this paper requires you to conduct some independent research. Your paper should use at least five sources beyond course readings (at least two journalistic sources and three scholarly sources) on your topic. Scholarly sources can include peer-reviewed journals (or their websites), books published by reputable academic presses, or proceedings of conferences. I would particularly urge you to look at journals such as the International Journal for the History of Sport or Journal of Sport History, though “mainstream” history journals often carry work on the history of cricket as well. Running a search on JSTOR (search for the database via the Cline Library site) with relevant keywords will also help.

Writing of this paper will go through three stages. By end of day, OCTOBER 26th, you will submit a PRELIMINARY proposal for your paper. I expect this to be around 500-700 words, outlining your TOPIC, showing its connection with global history, and the possible sources or where you will look for the sources to write this paper. This assignment will be graded out of 50 points. You will get some feedback from me on this.

 

By the end of day NOVEMBER 5th, you will submit the revised, FINAL version of your proposal. I expect this document to be at least 1000-1500 words, and include not only a specific topic, but also a preliminary thesis or argument of the paper. In addition, you must provide an annotated bibliography of the sources you will use to write the paper. The annotations will indicate how the source will help in making the case for your paper. This will be graded out of 100 points. You will have a one-on-one meeting with me based on this document.

 

The final paper around 3000 words (~ 12 pages) excluding notes and bibliography (double spaced, one-inch margins, fonts between ten and twelve points) is due by end of day, DECEMBER 10th. The paper should be formally written (no slang), make full use of citations using the Turabian/Chicago Style citation style, and have a clearly marked thesis bolded in the first paragraph of the paper. I will be evaluating the paper on style and content. Grammatical, spelling, and other errors will be penalized. The final paper will be graded out of 250 points.

The schedule for assignments for this class is as follows, all due at the end of the day:

Response paper 1*

September 9th

Response paper 2*

September 16th

Response paper 3*

September 30th  

Response paper 4*

October 7th

Response paper 5*

October 14th  

Preliminary Proposal

October 19th

Revised Proposal

October 29th

Paper on Fire in Babylon drawing on CLR James’s book

November 12th  

Response paper 6*

November 18th

Response paper 7*

December 2nd

Final Paper

December 10th

*Minimum of FIVE response papers required. If more than five are submitted, the five best grades will count toward final grade.

 

 

IV. Class Participation: My assessment of your attendance and your active participation in class activities (questions and discussions of reading and films) will count toward 200 points of the total course grade.

 

EVALUATION

Grades will be determined using the following criteria:

Response Papers (best 5)                                200 (40 points each)

Review of Fire in Babylon                             200

Preliminary Proposal for Final Paper             50

Revised Proposal for Final Paper                   100

Final Paper                                                      250

Attendance and Participation                         200 points

TOTAL FOR COURSE                                1000 points

The grading scale for the course will be as follows:

900+ = A; 800 - 899= B; 700-799= C; 600-699= D; below 600= F.

 

 

COURSE POLICIES

I expect regular class attendance whether in person or online. This is a seminar class where much of the learning happens through interaction. Without regular attendance and participation there is no point in your being enrolled in this class. Missing too many classes will undoubtedly and negatively impact on your class performance, given the discussion-oriented nature of this class, and will be penalized at my discretion.

 

If you miss a class, whatever your reasons for doing so, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to meet or call a classmate and find out what happened in that class. I also expect you to come to class having done all the required reading and prepared to engage in discussion. Finally, I expect you to be motivated to learn about the subject, and to improve your skills as a historian and critical thinker.

 

Ø  Once in the classroom, I do not permit the use of ANY electronic devices for any purpose not directly related to this course. If this policy is abused, I reserve the right to ban all electronic devices in the classroom at any point in the semester.

 

Ø  PLEASE NOTE: I do not give extensions, incompletes, or make-up exams, except in cases allowed for by University Policy.

⮚     Plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in failing the course.  Please consult the NAU Policy Statements at  /https://nau.edu/university-policy-library/syllabus-requirements/ and particularly the sections on academic integrity.  IT IS THE STUDENTS' RESPONSIBILITY TO FAMILIARIZE HERSELF/HIMSELF WITH THESE MATTERS AS DEFINED BY THE UNIVERSITY.

⮚     I do not permit the use of ANY electronic devices in the classroom, for any purpose not directly related to this course.  If this policy is abused, I reserve the right to ban all electronic devices in the classroom at any point in the semester.

 

Policy on Using Generative Artificial Intelligence (Chat GPT etc.)

This course allows for limited and specific use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies as part of the preparation phase of the work, using these technologies to assist with research, generating discussion questions. On your own, you may use AI to create summaries of topics and developing drafts of text that are then used as an input to the work you do to generate a final assignment – whether those are your notes for discussions or the final paper. In any use of AI, students should be aware of the potential limitations of using generative AI as a tool for learning and research since information is not always reliable or accurate, and should critically evaluate the sources, methods, and outputs of generative AI systems. Any final work submitted by students that contributes toward the course grade is expected to be generated by the students themselves, working individually or in groups as directed by class assignment instructions. Submitting final work created by generative AI where you are not permitted to use it constitutes an academic integrity violation. If you have any questions about this policy or if you are unsure whether a particular use of generative AI is acceptable, please ask for clarification before using such technologies.

 

 

PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE (dates, readings, and assignments subject to change)

 

WEEK ONE              August 25-27                         INTRODUCTIONS

 

August 25

Course and People Introduction.  Come prepared to talk about yourself, reasons you might be interested in taking this course, and any questions based on your reading of the syllabus.

 

August 27                   Introduction to Cricket

Required Films/Reading

1.         “Cricket for Americans” You Tube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oPLhskOH4o

2.         History of Cricket from the ICC Website. https://www.icc-cricket.com/about/cricket/history-of-cricket/early-cricket Please make sure you read all four tabs, “Early Cricket” “19th Century Cricket,” “20th Century Cricket,” and “21st Century Cricket.” They are all fairly short accounts.

Assignment

Come to class prepared to ask (and answer!) questions based on the above!

 

WEEKS TWO and THREE            SEPTEMBER 1-10               CRICKET, COLONIALISM AND NATIONALISM: AN INTRODUCTION THROUGH FILM 

 

September 1

Required Reading

1.               C. L. R. James, Beyond a Boundary

a.      “Introduction to the American Edition” pp. xvii-xxii

b.     “A Note on Cricket” pp. xxiii-xxvi

2.               David Underdown, “The History of Cricket.” History Compass 4/1 (2006): 43–53.

September 3               No Class Meeting

Watch the film Lagaan (on Canvas page for the course)

 

September 8-10

Discuss the film in the context of the readings below

3.                Boria Majumdar “Politics of Leisure in Colonial India ‘Lagaan’: Invocation of a Lost history?” Economic and Political Weekly of India (henceforth EPW) September 1, 2001. 

4.               Chandrima Chakraborty, “Bollywood Motifs: Cricket Fiction and Fictional Cricket” EPW (May 10-16, 2003.

Assignment

1.     Come to class prepared to ask (and answer!) questions based on the above film and readings!

2.     Complete a short (350-500 word) response paper to the film and readings above by September 9th end of day on Canvas (for details, see “Response Paper” in Assessment of Learning Outcomes, above). The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your understanding the sport and be able to see cricket as related to histories of colonialism and nationalism in India.

 

 

WEEK FOUR           SEPTEMBER 15-17             CRICKET, COLONIALISM AND NATIONALISM: AN INTRODUCTION THROUGH TEXTS

Required Readings

September 15

1.     Ramachandra Guha, Cricket and Politics in Colonial India

September 17

2.     C. L. R. James, Beyond a Boundary, Chapter One, “The Window” pp. 3-20 and Chapter Two “Against the Grain” pp. 21-38 (36 pages)

 

Assignment

1.     Complete a short (350-500 word) response paper to the readings above by September 16th end of day on Canvas (for details, see “Response Paper” in Assessment of Learning Outcomes, above). The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your understanding of the sport, and be able to see cricket as related to histories of colonialism, race, and nationalism.

2.     Come to class prepared to ask (and answer!) questions based on the above readings!

3.     Start thinking about your final paper.

 

WEEK FIVE-SIX     SEPTEMBER  22 -OCTOBER 1    WHAT HAPPENED TO AMERICA?

It is possible I will be out of the country during most of this time, and in addition to the assignment below, please:

i.                 Complete the readings below (we will discuss them in person on October 1)

ii.               Start thinking about your preliminary proposal for the final paper. Due at the start of Week Nine. But I am happy to discuss ideas with students earlier too.

September 22-29

Required Reading

1.     Orlando Patterson and Jason Kaufman, “Bowling for Democracy.” New York Times (May 1, 2005) https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/01/opinion/bowling-for-democracy.html if you can’t access it, try this link.

2.     Boria Majumdar and Sean Brown, “Why Baseball, Why Cricket? Differing Nationalisms, Differing Challenges.” The International Journal of the History of Sport (Vol. 24, No. 2, February 2007), 139 – 156.

3.     George B. Kirsch, “The Fate of Cricket in the United States: Revisited.” Journal of Sport History (Vol. 43, No. 2, Summer 2016), pp. 168-191.

October 1

Discuss all the above readings

 

Assignment

Write a short (350-500 word) response paper to the readings above by end of day, Wednesday, September 30th (for details, see “Response Paper” in Assessment of Learning Outcomes).

 

WEEK SEVEN                      OCTOBER 6-8                      HISTORY OF IMPERIAL CRICKET

Required Readings

  1. Mike Marqusee, Anyone But England: Cricket, Race and Class (London: Bloomsbury, 2016), Chapter Three, “The Cathedral and the Cult.”
  2. J. A. Mangan, “Britain’s Chief Spiritual Export: Imperial Sport as Moral Metaphor, Political Symbol and Cultural Bond.” The International Journal of the History of Sport (Vol. 27, Nos. 1–2, January–February 2010), pp. 328–336.
  3. Dean Allen, “‘Tours of Imperialism’: Cricket and Cultural Transfer in South Africa, 1880–1910.” The International Journal of the History of Sport (35, 15 2016), pp. 1717-1729.

Optional Reading

  1. James Bradley, “The MCC, society and empire: a portrait of cricket's ruling body, 1860–1914.” The International Journal of the History of Sport, 7:1(1990), pp. 3-22.

 

Assignment

1.               Come to class prepared to ask (and answer!) questions based on the above readings!

2.               Complete a short (350-500 word) response paper to the readings above by end of day October 7th on Canvas (for details, see “Response Paper” in Assessment of Learning Outcomes, above). The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your understanding the sport as connected with projects of British imperialism and colonial rule.

3.               Think about and come to class prepared to briefly talk about your proposed final paper for this course.

WEEK EIGHT OCTOBER 13-15 GENDER, EMPIRE and CRICKET

Required Readings

  1. Patrick F. McDevitt, “Defending White Manhood: The Bodyline Affair in England and Australia.” Chapter Five of May the Best Man Win Sport, Masculinity, and Nationalism in Great Britain and the Empire, 1880-1935 (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004), pp. 81-110.
  2. Andre´ Odendaal, “‘Neither cricketers nor ladies’: Towards a history of women and cricket in South Africa, 1860s–2000s.” The International Journal of the History of Sport (Vol. 28, No. 1, January 2011), pp. 115–136.
  3. Souvik Naha, “Adams and Eves at the Eden Gardens: Women Cricket Spectators and

the Conflict of Feminine Subjectivity in Calcutta, 1920–1970.” The International Journal of the History of Sport (Vol. 29, No. 5, April 2012), pp. 711–729.

Recommended

  1. Documentary Film on Bodyline
  2. Jared van Duinen, “Bodyline, the British World and the Evolution of an Australian National Identity.” The International Journal of the History of Sport (Vol. 32, No. 2, 2015), pp. 250–264.

Assignment

1.     Come to class prepared to ask (and answer!) questions based on the above readings and perhaps the film!

2.     Complete a short (350-500 word) response paper to the readings above by end of day, October 14 on Canvas (for details, see “Response Paper” in Assessment of Learning Outcomes, above). Focus, race, gender, and empire.

3.     Work on your preliminary proposal, due at the end of day, Monday October 19th.

WEEK NINE-ELEVEN       OCTOBER 20-NOVEMBER 5       CRICKET IN THE CARIBBEAN

October 20

Required Readings

C. L. R. James, Beyond a Boundary,

Chapter Four, “Light and Dark” pp. 49-65

Chapter Five, “Patient Merit” pp. 66-71

October 22

Chapter Eight “Prince and Pauper” pp. 101-116

Chapter Twelve, “What Do Men Live By,” pp 151-58

October 27

Chapter Thirteen “Prolegomena to WG” pp. 159-70

Chapter Fourteen, “WG” pp. 171-85

Chapter Fifteen, “Decline of the West,” pp, 186-92

October 29

Chapter Sixteen, “What is Art” pp. 195-211

Chapter Eighteen, “Proof of the Pudding,” pp. 225-52

Chapter Nineteen, “Alma Mater,” pp. 253- 56,

“Epilogue and Apotheosis,” pp. 257-61

Revised (final) proposal due

November 3

No Class: Watch Fire in Babylon (available to stream)

November 5

            Discuss James’s book and Fire in Babylon

Assignment

1.     Read, watch and come prepared to talk about the connections between James’ book and the film.

2.     Take careful notes on the relevant chapters of the book for use in your review of the film.

3.     Revised proposal for your final paper is due October 29th. I will circulate a sign-up sheet with proposed meeting times for one-on-one meetings to discuss your proposal next week. Due to time limitations, some meetings will have to be outside of class meeting times.

4.     Start working on a 1200-1500 word paper reviewing the film, Fire in Babylon and readings from Weeks Seven through Ten. To be submitted by end of day November 12th.

WEEK TWELVE November 10-12   No Class Meetings.  I will be scheduling individual meetings on your final paper proposal this week. (some may have to be outside of regular meeting times and might bleed into next week)

Assignment

Paper on Fire in Babylon is due by end of day, November 12th.

 

WEEK THIRTEEN NOVEMBER 17-19               COLONIALISM and CRICKET in INDIA

Required Readings

November 17

1.     Satadru Sen, “Enduring colonialism in cricket: from Ranjitsinhji to the Cronje affair.” Contemporary South Asia (2001, 10, 2), pp. 237–249.

November 19

2.     Ramachandra Guha, “‘The Moral that can safely be drawn from the Hindus’ Magnificent Victory’: Cricket, Caste and the Palwakankar Brothers” in J. Mills, Subaltern Sports: Politics and Sport in South Asia (London: Anthem Press, 2005), pp. 83-106.

3.     Boria Majumdar, “Communalism to Commercialism: Study of Anti-Pentangular Movement.” Economic and Political Weekly , Feb. 15-21, 2003, Vol. 38, No. 7 (Feb. 15-21, 2003), pp. 656-664.

Assignment

1.     Come to class prepared to ask (and answer!) questions based on the above readings.

2.     Complete a short (350-500 word) response paper to the readings above by end of day November 18th on Canvas (for details, see “Response Paper” in Assessment of Learning Outcomes, above).

3.     Start working on your paper, based on feedback you received from me.

WEEK FOURTEEN                        NOVEMBER 24-26 No Class Meetings for Thanksgiving Break

            Do use this time to start working seriously on your papers.

 

WEEK FIFTEEN     DECEMBER 1-3      GLOBALIZATION AND DECOLONIZATION OF CRICKET

Required Readings

December 1

1.     Amit Gupta, “The Globalization of Cricket: The Rise of the Non-West.” The International Journal of the History of Sport (21:2, 2004), pp. 257-276.

2.     Boria Majumdar, “The Indian Premier League and World Cricket.” The Cambridge Companion to Cricket. Ed. Anthony Bateman and Jeffrey Hill. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2011. 173–86.

December 3

1.     Fahad Mustafa, “Cricket and globalization: global processes and the imperial game.” Journal of Global History (8, 2013), pp. 318–341.

2.     Arjun Appadurai, “Playing with Modernity: The Decolonization of Indian Cricket,” in Carol.A. Breckenridge (ed.), Consuming Modernity: Public Culture in a South Asian World (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1995)

Recommended

1.     Watch Jerry Leach and Gary Kildea, Trobriand Cricket (Bb Learn page for class) Also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYZFNRc9mKk

2.     Pat Fiske, “Curators Notes” https://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/trobriand-cricket/notes/

3.     Jerry Leach, “Structure and Message in Trobriand cricket” https://journals.openedition.org/tc/195

Assignment

  1. Complete a short (350-500 word) response paper to the film and readings above by end of day on December 2nd on Canvas (for details, see “Response Paper” in Assessment of Learning Outcomes, above). The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your understanding of the different ways in which cricket has been both “globalized” but also “de-colonized” with India’s emergence as the powerhouse of the sport.  

 

WEEK SIXTEEN     DECEMBER 8-10    END OF TERM

December 8 No Class. Work on your papers.

 

December 10  FINAL PAPERS DUE by the end of the day

If there is sufficient interest, we might have a short class meeting briefly reviewing what you have learnt through the course and taking your suggestions for change.