Northern Arizona University Department of History

College of Arts and Letters Fall 2014

 

HIS 460 FILM & HISTORY: COLONIALISM, NATIONALISM AND MODERNITY IN INDIA (Readings in World History)

 

Instructor: SANJAY JOSHI Office Hours: Mo-We. 11:00- 12:30, and by appointment

 Office: LA 206 Phone: 523-6216

E-mail: Sanjay.Joshi@nau.edu Meetings: Wed. 4.00 - 6.30; LA 216

 

Course Web Page

URL http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/filmandhistory/HIS%20460%20Course%20Page.htm

 

Do check NAU’s Policy Statements at http://www4.nau.edu/avpaa/policy1.html

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course uses written and visual texts to better understand representations of two key issues in the history of modern India. We start with the advent of British colonialism in the Indian subcontinent, though our main emphasis will be to examine the nature of the national state and society that come into being after 1947. Colonialism, Nationalism, and the specific nature of modernity in colonial and postcolonial India will be the main themes we examine through this course. In doing so, we will pay particular attention to the place of gender, class, and caste, as the locus of modern identities.

 

Films are used both to better understand a complex history, and as alternative narratives and/or representations of that history. We will use films to help make a fascinating history come alive in a way not always possible through written texts alone. At the same time, we will also examine how more conventional histories help us better understand and critique cinematic representations. Our aim will be to see how different representations of history help us better understand the complexities of narrating histories, and how to distinguish as well as evaluate these multiple representations.

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES We aim to:

1. Get a clear grasp of the basic narrative of events relating to colonialism and nationalisms in South Asia from ca. 1830 to recent times.

2. To understand and analyze various competing interpretations of these events.

3. To understand the ways in which traditional historical narratives differ from cinematic representations of history and to explore how these, together or separately, help us better understand colonialism and nationalisms in South Asia (as well as their legacy for the contemporary world). 

 

COURSE STRUCTURE AND REQUIREMENTS

This is a SEMINAR class. While I do not expect prior knowledge of the history of India, I do expect participants in a 400-level seminar class to be able to read and analyze material about unfamiliar names and events in very short order. I must warn all students of a pretty steep learning curve that this course will demand. At the same time, I think the work will pay off with a complex understanding of Indian history and cinema suitable for a 400-level seminar. I fully expect that this course WILL be run as a seminar where students will take primary responsibility for knowledge production in the classroom. That means all students MUST come to class having completed reading (and viewing) assignments for that day, and prepared to engage in discussion. Fifteen percent (15%) of the total grade for this class comes from participation. If you do not participate, you WILL lose points. See the stipulations under the “Participation” section of “Course Assignments,” below.

 

We will not screen any of the required films in class, though we will obviously discuss films in great detail. Therefore, it will also be necessary for students to complete the viewing of the films in their own time. The films have been transferred to electronic streaming media and are available to you via the BBLearn page.

 

Please make sure you are aware of the differences between, and the different material available at the COURSE web page and the BBLearn page for this course.

 

READINGS

There is only one required textbook for this course, though there are MANY other REQUIRED readings which are available via the BBLearn page for this class. Some are also available as links from this syllabus The textbook for this course is Barbara and Thomas Metcalf A Concise History of India. (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 3rd edition, 2012). Please ensure you DO have the latest edition as it has updates REQUIRED for this course. This should be available for purchase at the NAU bookstore. In addition, I highly recommend an invaluable website on Indian Cinema as an essential aid for a better understanding of some the films used in this course, and a wonderful introduction to many others that are not used here, http://www.uiowa.edu/~incinema/

 

You should know about NAU’s Emergency Textbook Loan Program: To help students acquire the materials they need to be successful in class. NAU has partnered with Follett to create the Emergency Textbook Loan program. The program is administered by the LEADS Center. The program assists students with unmet financial need in obtaining required textbook(s) and other materials for courses. Students must apply and meet eligibility criteria before textbooks are purchased on their behalf. Textbooks must be returned at the end of the term in which the textbooks were loaned. More information can be found online: http://nau.edu/LEADS-Center/Textbook-Loan-Program/

 

FILMS

We will be using the following films for this course. When not in English, they are all subtitled. Required and Recommended films are available as streaming media files accessible via the BBLearn page for the course. Hard copies of the film are also on reserve at Cline Library.

 

Required

1. Rudyard Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King                                  DVD 146

2. Gandhi (Attenborough’s version)                                                           DVD 1695

3. Jinnah                                                                                                    DVD 1290

4. Deewar                                                                                           DVD 4968

5. Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi                                                             DVD 5144

6. Bandit Queen                                                                                  DVD 168

7. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge                                                         DVD 4144

8. Lage Raho Munnabhai                                                                   DVD 4969

 

Alternate/Recommended

1. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India                                              DVD 1310

2. Silent Waters                                                                                           DVD 2295

3. Pyaasa                                                                                             DVD 4405

 

 

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

1. SYLLABUS QUIZ. (5 points) Take-home assignment. To ensure that students read the syllabus as carefully as possible.

 

2. PARTICIPATION. (15 points) As this is a seminar, regular attendance and participation are CRITICAL and worth 15 points. Missing more than one class will automatically lead to deductions in participation points (exact number of points docked will be at my discretion). Missing more than three class meetings will result in a failing grade. An important part of your education is to be able to express your ideas verbally as much as in writing. Shyness or inability to speak up in public situations cannot be an excuse for not participating in a seminar. On the other hand, participation does not mean hogging class time! I will evaluate you on the QUALITY and not simply the QUANTITY of your participation. I will be looking for the extent to which your participation reveals a close reading and analytical thinking about the class material. Certainly seminars are not occasions for presenting uninformed opinions even if they relate to the topic under discussion. You will be expected to, and might be called upon, to relate your interventions to the readings and/or other credible, preferably scholarly, sources of information.

 

3. DISCUSSION NOTES. (10 points each = 20)

This may be a relatively new kind of assignment for you, so do pay attention to the following:

You will be given specific questions or topics around which to frame your discussion notes a few days in advance of the discussion day. To evaluate the notes I will be looking for both a clearly-outlined THESIS in response to each question, AND relevant data/evidence to support your thesis. As the assignment indicates, the evidence/ data can be in “note” form, but the notes MUST have citations to specific pages in the readings as well as the film assigned that week. Notes that do not indicate a clear thesis or sufficient supporting data will be penalized at my discretion. To allow you to get used to the requirements of this assignment, your first two set of notes are worth only ten points each. The proportion of points gets higher in the assignment below. If University-related business compels you to miss a discussion, you will be allowed to submit notes in advance of your departure.

 

4. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS and NOTES (15 points each = 30)

You must submit TWO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS and NOTES on the appropriate dates marked on the syllabus. I expect to see between three and five questions, all designed to encourage discussion of the major issues brought up by the films and the readings. At least one question should make a connection between the film and readings. The questions must be written on a separate page, and you MUST BRING ENOUGH COPIES of your questions FOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE CLASS. Your questions need to be accompanied by two to four pages of notes, starting on a separate page. Notes should follow the same format as required for the Discussion Notes assignment (above) with the significant difference that these notes should suggest ways in which the questions you pose can be addressed. As with the above assignment, you MUST include specific citations (including page numbers) to the readings and the films. You will lead the discussion for the period when your questions are being discussed.

 

While you are free to frame your questions and notes in any way you choose, keep in mind that I will be evaluating them on the extent to which they reveal familiarity with and analysis of the appropriate films and readings. You are, of course, free to bring up queries, separately from the discussion questions. Each set of discussion questions and will be worth 15 points, 30 points total.

 

5. FINAL PROJECT (30 points)

I will ask students to pair up in teams of two to complete this assignment. I recommend creating your team as soon as possible, and certainly before the fourth week of class. Each team will pick a topic (I will have some suggestions on the COURSE WEB PAGE) Your task will be to produce a high-quality final paper of at least 10 to 15 pages in length. The paper must undertake an analysis of at least 5 films OUTSIDE the syllabus (and one FROM the course), use at least 5 scholarly articles (or 2 scholarly books and 3 scholarly articles), as well as some contemporary media reviews of the films you choose for writing your paper. I will be more than happy to help you in your research, but the responsibility for selecting, researching, and writing the paper is ultimately your own. I strongly encourage you to keep consulting with me on this project as the term progresses. A close-to-final graft of the paper is due Week Twelve, November 12th, followed by meetings with me the following week. The final paper is due December 3rd.

 

EVALUATION AND GRADES

Grades will be determined using the following criteria:

            Syllabus Take Home Quiz                  05 points

            Discussion Notes                                20 points (10 each)

            Discussion Questions and Notes        30 points (15 each)

            Final Project Essay                             30 points

            Participation                                       15 points

TOTAL FOR COURSE                               100 points

 

The grading scale for the course will be as follows:

            90+ = A; 80 - 89= B; 70-79= C; 60-69= D; below 60= F.

 

COURSE POLICIES

I expect regular class attendance of course, which is particularly critical for a seminar class. Missing even one class, unless it is for documentable reasons and allowed for by University policy, will have serious learning consequences. I will certainly penalize absences. More than three absences from scheduled class meetings will automatically result in a failing grade. If you miss a class, whatever your reasons for doing so, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to arrange to meet or call a classmate and find out what happened in that class.

 

PLEASE NOTE: I do not give extensions on paper deadlines or other assignment deadlines, except in cases allowed for by University Policy. I do not offer the option of an incomplete or “IP” at the end of the course, unless warranted by exceptional emergency situations.

 

Plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated, and will result in failing the course. Please consult the section on “Academic Integrity” in the NAU Policy Statements appended to this syllabus for further details. IT IS THE STUDENTS' RESPONSIBILITY TO FAMILIARIZE HERSELF/HIMSELF WITH THESE MATTERS AS DEFINED BY THE UNIVERSITY.

 

Provisional Course Schedule (Dates, Readings, and Assignments subject to modification)

 

WEEK ONE August 27 Course Introductions

Objective

We get to know each other, and learn about the content of this course, and what is expected of all participants in this seminar.

 

WEEK TWO September 3 Film, Indian History. Indian Cinema and “Bollywood”

Objective To understand the connections between film and history, get a good sense of Indian history before the emergence of British rule.

 

You are required to complete the following BEFORE CLASS.

Viewing

1. Larger Than Life: India's Bollywood Film Culture

http://digital.films.com.libproxy.nau.edu/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=18624&xtid=33907

(NAU Users Only)

 

Read

1. Robert A. Rosenstone, “History in Images History in Words: Reflecting on the

Possibility of Really Putting History onto Film,” in Visions of the Past: The Challenge of

Film to Our Idea of History. Harvard: Harvard University Press, 1998.

 

2. Nasreen Munni Kabir, “Bollywood Basics” Chapter One of Bollywood: The Indian Cinema Story (Channel 4 Books)

 

3. Metcalf and Metcalf, Chapters One and Two.

 

Recommended Viewing http://digital.films.com.libproxy.nau.edu/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=18624&xtid=41065

The Story of India: Freedom (NAU Users Only)

 

Activities

•          Discuss Film and History, and also, Film as History

•          Continue with Discussions of Indian history up to British rule

•          Discuss the emergence of Indian Cinema and its “Bollywood-ization”

 

Assignment

I will be handing out questions for discussion for Sept 10.

Take Home Syllabus Quiz assigned.

 

WEEK THREE September 10 Empire and Cinema in British India

Objective To understand the history of British colonialism in India, with a particular emphasis on the representations of India and Indians created during this period. We will seek to “de-construct” those representations through the material in use today, using both specific histories and its representations in literature and cinema.

 

You are required to complete the following BEFORE class

Required Viewing

Man Who Would Be King

 

Required Readings

1. Metcalf and Metcalf, Chapter Three.

 

2. Edward Said, Introduction to Rudyard Kipling’s Kim

 

Recommended Reading

Prem Chowdhry, “Introduction” from Colonial India and the Making of Empire Cinema (Manchester [UK]: Manchester University Press, 2000), pp. 1-56.

 

Activities

•          Submit syllabus quiz

•          Discuss British Colonialism in India, particularly the issue of “Orientalism”

•          Discuss Film

•          Discuss Films and Readings

•          Discussion # 1 (British Colonialism in India) Remember to bring two copies of your notes, one to hand in to me and the other to use to discuss and make notes for revisions.

 

WEEK FOUR September 17 Early Nationalism                NO CLASS MEETING,

 

But I strongly recommend you do the following. An OPTIONAL 10 point extra credit essay assignment is available, based on this film and readings. Please see me for details if you are interested. Due October 2.

 

Viewing: Lagaan

 

Reading:

1. Metcalf and Metcalf, Chapter Four (REQUIRED for all students)

 

2. Chandrima Chakraborty “Subaltern Studies, Bollywood and Lagaan.” Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) May 10, 2003.

 

Submit

(Optional) Revised Notes from Discussion 1 due in the HISTORY office by 3 pm.

 

WEEK FIVE September 25 Gandhi’s India

Objective To understand the historical phenomenon we understand as Gandhi and contrast history with Attenborough’s representations.

 

You are required to complete the following BEFORE CLASS.

Required Viewing

Gandhi (Richard Attenborough version) NB: This is a LONG film.

 

Required Readings

1. Metcalf and Metcalf, Chapters Five and Six.

 

2. David Hardiman “Father of the Nation” in Gandhi in His Time and Ours. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/hardimangandhigender.pdf

 

Activities

•          Discuss Historical Background to Gandhi

•          Discuss Gandhi’s ideology

•          Discuss Attenborough’s representations of Gandhi

•          Gandhi and Gender

•          Gandhi, Religion, and Politics

 

Assignment

Take Home Syllabus Quiz due.

 

WEEK SIX October 1 Competing Nationalisms and Partition

Objective To understand the complex history that led up to partition and the violence at that time.

 

You are required to complete the following BEFORE CLASS

 

Required Viewing

Jinnah

 

Required Reading

1. David Gilmartin, "Partition, Pakistan, and South Asian History: In Search of a Narrative," Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 57, no. 4 (November 1998) pp. 1068-95.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/2659304?origin=JSTOR-pdf

 

 

2.Ritu Menon and Kamla Bhasin, “Speaking for Themselves: Partition History,

Women’s Histories.” Ritu Menon and Kamala Bhasin, Borders and Boundaries: Women in India’s Partition (New Delhi: Kali for Women, 1998) pp. 3-27.

 

Recommended

Viewing: Silent Waters

 

Reading:

1. Eqbal Ahmad on Qaid-i-Azam, M. A. Jinnah http://pakteahouse.net/2008/09/17/eqbal-ahmad-on-quaid-i-azam-m-a-jinnah/ (especially parts 2 and 3)

 

2. Urvashi Butalia, "Abducted and Widowed Women: Questions of Sexuality and Citizenship During Partition,"in Meenakshi Thapan, ed., Embodiment: Essays on Gender and Identity. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1997.

 

3. Ritu Menon and Kamla Bhasin “Honourably Dead” in Borders and Boundaries: Women and India’s Partition. Delhi: Kali for Women, 1998, pp. 32-64.

  

Activities

•          Discuss Readings on Partition

•          Discuss Jinnah vs Gandhi, History Film and Representation

•          Gender and Partition

 

Assignment

Discussion # 2 Questions (October 8) Assigned

 

Start working on your final paper topic, research bibliographies, films on the topic.

 

WEEK SEVEN October 8 The Early Nation-State and Discontents

Objective To understand both the difficulties faced by the new Indian government and the disappointments confronting the people after the “success” of nationalism.

 

You are required to complete the following BEFORE CLASS.

No Required Film for this week

 

Required Reading

1. Metcalf and Metcalf pp. 231-251.

 

2. Ramachandra Guha, “Verdicts on Nehru: Rise and Fall of a Reputation” Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 40, No. 19 (May 7-13, 2005), pp. 1958-1962 http://www.jstor.org/stable/4416605.

 

Recommended Viewing

Pyaasa See, http://www.uiowa.edu/~incinema/pyaasa.html for notes

 

Activities

•          Discuss Partition and its Impacts on the Post Independence State

•          Discussion # 2 (Nationalism, Gandhi and Partition) Remember to bring two copies of your notes, one to hand in to me and the other to use to discuss and make notes for revisions.

•          Discuss Nehru’s Vision and Its Implementation/Limitations

•          Politics in Post Independent India

 

Assignments

Submit OPTIONAL essay from Week Four today

 

Prepare Questions (on separate page) and discussion notes based on readings and films for WEEK SEVEN and EIGHT for submission October 22. Discussion # 3. These should be a more substantial set of notes than for prior weeks as it covers two weeks worth of films and readings.

 

WEEK EIGHT October 15 From Disillusionment to Anger? India After Nehru

Objective To understand both the early success of Indira’s populism and the reaction against it by the mid to late 1970s.

 

You are required to complete the following BEFORE CLASS.

Required Viewing

Deewar

 

Required Reading

1. Metcalf and Metcalf, pp. 251-264

 

2. Sudipta Kaviraj, “Indira Gandhi and Indian Politics.” Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 21, No. 38/39 (Sep. 20-27, 1986), pp. 1697-1708.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/4376158

 

3. Jyotika Virdi, 1993. “The `Fiction’ of Film and `Fact’ of Politics: Deewar.” Jump Cut 38 (1993): 26-32.

 

Activities

•           Indian politics from Nehru to Indira

•           Democracy and Populism and the limitations of populism

•           Discuss Deewar as product of the 1970s

 

Assignment (reminder)

Prepare Questions (on separate page) and discussion notes for submission next class.

 

Keep working on your final paper.

 

WEEK NINE October 22 Anger to Attempted Revolution

Objective: To understand the growth of the revolutionary movements in late 1960s and 1970s often called the “Naxalite Movement”

 

You are required to complete the following BEFORE CLASS

Required Viewing

Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi

 

Required Reading

1. Biplab Dasgupta, “Naxalite Armed Struggles and the Annihilation Campaign in Rural Areas” Economic and Political Weekly,Vol. 8, No. 4/6, Annual Number (Feb., 1973) please note the date http://www.jstor.org/stable/4362290

 

2. Sumanta Banerjee , “Naxalbari: Between Past and Future” Economic and Political Weekly,Vol. 37, No. 22 (Jun. 1-7, 2002) http://www.jstor.org/stable/4412182

 

Activities

•           Discussion # 3 (Nehru and Indira years) based on your questions. You do need to bring notes as well. See Assignments for Week Seven, above.

•           The Rise and Evaluation of Naxalite Movement in the 1970s and beyond

•           Representation of the movement in Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi

 

Assignment

Prepare Questions (on separate page) and discussion notes based on readings and films for WEEKS NINE and TEN for submission November 5. Discussion # 4. These should be as substantial a set of notes as for Discussion # 3 as they cover two weeks worth of films and readings.,

 

Continue work on final paper. By this time you should have a good sense of your topic, and a set of readings and films to go along with it. If you do not, this would be the time to meet with me to make sure you are on track.

 

WEEK TEN October 29 Anger of the Oppressed

Objective To understand the ways in which caste, class and gender come together to form the matrix of Phoolan Devi’s oppression. Also, the controversial ways in which it was represented by Shekhar Kapur in this film.

 

You are required to complete the following BEFORE CLASS

Required Viewing

Bandit Queen (Please be aware that this film contains some very disturbing scenes)

 

Required Readings

1. William R. Pinch, Review of The Bandit Queen. The American Historical Review, Vol. 101, No. 4 (Oct., 1996), pp. 1149-1150. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2169642

 

 2. Prem Chowdhry, “Enforcing Cultural Codes: Gender and Violence in Northern India”

Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 32, No. 19 (May 10-16, 1997), pp. 1019-1028. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4405393

 

3. Leela Fernandes, “Nationalizing `the global': media images, cultural politics and the middle class in India” Media Culture Society vol. 22 no. 5, (September 2000), pp. 611-628. http://mcs.sagepub.com/content/22/5/611.full.pdf+html

 

Recommended Readings

1. If you are not familiar with the general working of the caste system, I strongly recommend you read Joe Elder, “Enduring Stereotypes About Asia: India's Caste System”

 

2. An older, but very interesting comparison of race in the US and caste in India: Gerald D. Berreman, “Caste in India and the United States” American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 66, No. 2 (Sep., 1960), pp. 120-127 http://www.jstor.org/stable/2773155

 

Activities

•           Discuss Caste, some history and its operation in everyday life

•           Discuss readings

•           Discuss film in the context of the readings and earlier discussion

 

Assignments (reminder)

Prepare Questions (on separate page) and discussion notes for submission next class.

 

Keep working on your final paper.

 

WEEK ELEVEN November 5 Globalization, Bollywood, and the Indian Elite

Objective To understand ways in which Globalization has impacted different strata of Indian society differently.

 

You are required to complete the following BEFORE CLASS

Required Viewing

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge

 

Required Readings

1. Metcalf and Metcalf, Chapter Nine

 

2. Maithili Rao, “Bollywood and Globalisation” British Film Institute (2008) http://web.archive.org/web/20120204093925/http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/contemporary/globalisation.html

 

 

3. Sudhanva Deshpande, “The Consumable Hero of Globalised India” in Raminder Kaur, Ajay J. Sinha ed. Bollyworld: Popular Indian Cinema Through A Transnational Lens Delhi: Sage Publications, 2005, pp. 186-206.

 

4. Sakuntala Rao, “The Globalization of Bollywood: an Ethnography of Non-elite Audiences in India” The Communication Review, 10 (2007): 57–76.

 

Recommended Reading

Purnima Mankekar , “Brides Who Travel: Gender Transnationalism, and Nationalism in Hindi Film.” positions 7: 3 (1999) pp. 731-61.

 

Jyotsna Kapur, “An ‘Arranged Love’ Marriage: India’s Neoliberal Turn and the Bollywood Wedding Culture Industry.” Communication, Culture and Critique 2 (2009), pp. 221-33.

 

Activities

•           Discussion # 4 (Class, Caste, Gender as axes of oppression and response in contemporary India) based on your questions. You do need to bring notes as well. See Assignments for Week Nine, above.

 

•           Indian politics and society in this millennium

 

•           Globalization and its impacts on different strata on Indian society

 

•           Representations of Globalization in Cinema

 

Assignments

Work on your final paper, draft due next week.

 

WEEK TWELVE November 12 From Gandhi to Gandhigiri: Are We Postcolonial Yet?

Objective To discuss and understand the complications of modernity in contemporary India with a focus on changing representations of Mahatma Gandhi.

 

You are required to complete the following BEFORE CLASS

Required Viewing

Lage Raho Munnabhai

http://www.uiowa.edu/~incinema/Lage%20Raho%20MB.html

 

Required Reading

1. Ashis Nandy, “Gandhi After Gandhi After Gandhi.” The Little Magazine Vol. 1, Number 1 (May 2000)

 

2. Arunabha Ghosh and Tapan Babu, “Lage Raho Munna Bhai: Unravelling Brand 'Gandhigiri'.” Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 41, No. 51 (Dec. 23-29, 2006), pp. 5225-5227 http://www.jstor.org/stable/4419050.

 

Activities

•          Discuss readings and films

•          Sign up for meetings next week

 

Assignment

Submit first drafts of your final paper.

 

WEEK THIRTEEN November 19

  No Class Meeting. Teams meet with me to discuss progress on their final projects.

 

WEEK FOURTEEN November 26

No Class, Thanksgiving Holiday

 

WEEK FIFTEEN December 3

 

  Submit final papers, either in my office or in the HIS office, by 3 pm.