H1: Historical Research: Theory and Method
Max. Marks : 125
Theory : 100
Internal Assessment: 25
Time : 3 hours.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PAPER SETTERS AND CANDIDATES:
(i) There will be 9 questions in all. The candidate will be required to attempt 5 questions.
(ii) Question No.1 will be compulsory and carry 20 marks. It will consist of 8 short
questions, spread over the entire syllabus. The candidate is required to attempt any 5
short answer type questions. Each short question, carrying 4 marks, will be answered
in 80-100 words.
(iii) Remaining part of the question paper will be divided into four units, corresponding to
the four units of the syllabus. The paper setter will set 2 essay type questions from
each unit. The candidate will attempt 4 essay type questions, selecting one from each
unit. Each essay type question will carry 20 marks.
(iv) The paper setter is expected to follow the Recommended Readings and set questions
on the sub-themes or parts of a theme, rather than the topic as a whole.
Max. Marks : 125
Theory : 100
Internal Assessment: 25
Time : 3 hours.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PAPER SETTERS AND CANDIDATES:
(i) There will be 9 questions in all. The candidate will be required to attempt 5 questions.
(ii) Question No.1 will be compulsory and carry 20 marks. It will consist of 8 short
questions, spread over the entire syllabus. The candidate is required to attempt any 5
short answer type questions. Each short question, carrying 4 marks, will be answered
in 80-100 words.
(iii) Remaining part of the question paper will be divided into four units, corresponding to
the four units of the syllabus. The paper setter will set 2 essay type questions from
each unit. The candidate will attempt 4 essay type questions, selecting one from each
unit. Each essay type question will carry 20 marks.
(iv) The paper setter is expected to follow the Recommended Readings and set questions
on the sub-themes or parts of a theme, rather than the topic as a whole.
Unit I
The historian and his facts; causation and generalization; problem of value judgement;
challenges of Post Modernism.
Unit II
Historical Evidence: Archaeological findings; Literary; Documentary; Art forms: Myth,
Folklore, Oral evidence, Internal and External criticism of evidence.
Unit III
The agenda for total History: Marc Bloch, Lucien Febvre and the early years; the Braudelian
perspective; the history of mentalities; the history of emotions, and the history of everyday life.
Unit IV
History and allied disciplines: History in relation to Geography; Economics; Sociology; Ethno
history; Political Science, Psychology and Literature.
Recommended Reading:
1. Aymard, M. and
Harbans Mukhia
French Studies in History, 2 vols, Orient Longman,
Hyderabad, 1989 (reprint).
2. B. Sheik Ali, History its Theory and Method, Macmillan Col. Ltd., Delhi,
1978
3. Barzun, J and Henry
Graff
The Modern Researcher, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New
York, 1977.
4. Beverley Southgate History: What and Why, Routledge, New York, 2001
5. Burke, Peter Sociology and History, George Allen and Unwin, London,
1980.
6. Carr, E.H. What is History, Pelican paperback, 1990
7. Clark, Stuart The Annales Historians, Critical Assessment, Vol.I,
Routledge, London, 1999.
8. Cohn, B. History and Anthropology: The State of Play, Oxford
University Press, Delhi, 1988.
9. Elton, G.R. The Practice of History, Collins/Fontana, Great Britain 1976
(7th impression).
10. Gottschalk, Louis Understanding History: A Primer of Historical Method,
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1969.
11. Ishwar Dayal Gaur Martyr as Bridegroom: A Folk Representation of Bhagat
Singh, Anthem Press, New Delhi, 2008.
3
12. Jenkins, Keith On ‘What is History’?, Routledge, London, 1995.
13. Jenkins, Keith Why History?: Ethics and Postmodernity, Routledge, London,
1999.
14. Joyce, Appleby, Lynn
Hunt and Margret
Jacob
Telling the Truth About History, W.W. Norton, New York,
1994.
15. Ludmilla, Jordanova History in Practice, Arnold, London, 2000.
16. Peter Lambert & Philip
Schofield (ed),
Making History: An Introduction to the History and Practices
of a discipline; Routledge, New York, 2006
17. Reader, Melvin Marx’s Interpretation of History, Oxford University Press,
New York, 1979.
18. Rosenav, Pauline
Marie
‘History with a French Accent’, Journal of Modern History,
vol.44, No.4, December 1972, pp.447-539.
19. Rosenav, Pauline
Marie
Post-Modernism and the Social Sciences, Princeton
University Press, Princeton, New Jeresy, 1992.
20. Stone, Lawrence ‘History and the Social Sciences in the Twentieth Century’,
The Future of History (ed. Charles Delzell), Vanderbilt
University Press, 1977; 3-42.
21. Webster, John CB Studying History, Macmilan, Delhi 1997
Reference Readings:
1. Grewal, J.S. In the By Lanes of History, IIAS, Shimla, 1975.
2. Grewal, J.S. ‘The World of Waris’, Social Transformation and Creative
Imagination (ed. Sudhi Chandra), Allied Publishers, New Delhi,
1984, 107-25.
3. Grewal, J.S. & B.N.
Goswamy (eds.)
The Jogis of Jakhbar, IIAS, Shimla, 1967, 11-38.
4. Grewal, J.S. & Indu
Banga (eds.)
Civil and Military Affairs of Maharaja Ranjit Singh: A Study of
450 Orders in Persian, GNDU, Amritsar, Introduction, 55-96.
5. Narain, A.K. ‘Numismatics and Historical Writing’, Historical Writing on the
Peoples of Asia (ed. C.H. Phillips), OUP, London, 1961, 94-101.
6. Qaisar, Ahsan Jan Building Construction in Mughal India: The Evidence from
Painting, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 1988, 5-15.
7. Ratnagar, Shereen ‘Archaeological Perspectives on Early Indian Societies’, Recent
Perspectives of Early Indian History (ed. Romila Thapar),
Popular Prakashan, Bombay, 1995, 1-52.
4
8. Ravinder Kumar ‘The Place of Oral Sources in Historical Research’, Presidential
Address, UGC Seminar on Concept and Value of Oral History in
Modern Historiography, 15-17 September 1983, Patiala.
9. Sircar, D.C. Indian Epigraphy, Motilal Banarsidas, Delhi, 1965, Chap. I &
IV.
10. Spivak, Gayatri,
Chakravorty
A Literary Representation of the Subaltern: Mahasweta Devi’s
‘Stanadayini’ Writings on South Asian History and Society
Subaltern Studies . ed. Ranjit Guha, Oxford University Press,
New Delhi, 1995, 91-134.
11. Sudhir Chandra (ed) Social Transformation and Creative Imagination, Allied
Publishers, Delhi, 1984, 37-61,145-99, 201-352,
12. Surinder Singh &
Ishwar Dayal Gaur,
Popular Literature and Pre-Modern Societies in South Asia,
Pearson Longman, New Delhi, 2008.
13. Theodore K. Rabb
and Jonathan Brown
The Evidence of Art: Images and Meaning in History,
Cambridge University Press, 1986, 1-6.
14. William Hughes Film as Historical Evidence (Xerox), 49-79.
H2 Opt. (i): Trends in Historiography on Ancient India
Max. Marks : 125
Theory : 100
Internal Assessment: 25
Time : 3 hrs.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PAPER SETTERS AND CANDIDATES:
(i) There will be 9 questions in all. The candidate will be required to attempt 5 questions.
(ii) Question No.1 will be compulsory and carry 20 marks. It will consist of 8 short
questions, spread over the entire syllabus. The candidate is required to attempt any 5
short answer type questions. Each short question, carrying 4 marks, will be answered
in 80-100 words.
(iii) Remaining part of the question paper will be divided into four units, corresponding to
the four units of the syllabus. The paper setter will set 2 essay type questions from
each unit. The candidate will attempt 4 essay type questions, selecting one from each
unit. Each essay type question will carry 20 marks.
(iv) The paper setter is expected to follow the Recommended Readings and set questions
on the sub-themes or parts of a theme, rather than the topic as a whole.
Unit I
Western Perspectives of Ancient India: James Mill; Havell, Max Muller and V.A. Smith;
Nationalist Interpretation: K.P. Jayaswal, R.K. Mookerji.
5
Unit II
Marxist Interpretation: Socio-economic changes in early India; identifying new areas of study;
Communal Interpretation: Responses to Vedic and subsequent socio-religious developments.
Unit III
Major debates: The Aryan home land; the ‘golden age’ of the Guptas; Origin and decline of
Indian Feudalism; the paradigm of Urban Decay; the model of Segmentary State: the Cholas.
Unit IV
Recent trends in historical research: Gender; Bio-ethics in Buddhism; Approaches to regional
history with reference to the Punjab.
Recommended Reading:
1. Altakar, A.S. The Position of Women in Hindu Civilization, 2nd
ed., Motilal Banarasidass, Delhi, 1978.
2. Chhatopadhyaya, B.D. The Making of Early Medieval India, OUP, 2005
3. Devahuti, D, Bias in Indian History, D.K. Pub., Delhi, 1980.
4. Devahuti, D.(ed.) Problems of Indian Historiography, D.K.
Publications, Delhi, 1979.
5. Grewal, J.S., Social and Cultural History of the Punjab, Manohar,
New Delhi, 2004
6. Jaiswal, Suvira Studies in Early Indian Social History: Trends and
Possibilities, I.H.R., Vol. vi, nos.1-2 (July 1979-
Jan.1980).
7. Jha, D.N. Ancient India: An Introductory Outline, People’s
Pub. House, Delhi, 1977.
8. Jha, D.N. Studies in Early Indian Economic History, Anupama
Publications, Delhi, 1980.
9. Keown, D. Buddhism and Bioethics, Macmillan, London, 1995.
10. Philips, C.H. (ed), Historians of India, Pakistan and Ceylon, O.U.P.,
1961.
11. Ray, Bharati (ed) Different Types of History, PHISPIC, Vol.XIV, Pt.4,
OUP, Delhi
12. Ray, KumKum (ed) Women in Early Indian Societies, Manohar, New
Delhi, 2001.
13. Shah, Shalini The Making of Womanhood Gender Relations in the
Mahabharata, Manohar, New Delhi, 1995.
6
14. Sharma, R.S. Indian Feudalism c.AD 300-1200, 2nd ed.,
Mac millan, Delhi, Reprint, 1985.
15. Sharma, R.S. Urban Decay in India c. AD 300-1000, Munshiram
Manoharlal, New Delhi, 1987.
16. Sharma, R.S., In Defence of Ancient India, People’s Publishing
House, Delhi, 1978.
17. Sharma, R.S., Perspectives in Social and Economic History of
Early India, Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi,
1983.
18. Stein, Burton, Peasant State and Society in Medieval South India,
O.U.P., Delhi, 1980.
19. Thapar, Romila; Chandra,
Bipan and Mukhia, Harbans
Communalism in the Writing of Indian History,
People’s Pub. House, Delhi, 1969.
20. Thapar, Romila Cultural Past: Essays in Early Indian History, OUP,
Delhi, 2003.
21. Thapar, Romila Social History of Ancient India: Some
Interpretations, Orient Longman, Hyderabad, Ist
Pub. 1978, Rpt. 2004.
22. Thapar, Romila The Past and Prejudice, N.B.T., New Delhi, Ist ed.
1975; revised ed.2000.
23. Trautmann, Thomas R. (ed.), The Aryan Debate, OUP, New Delhi, 2005.
H2 Opt.(ii) : Trends in Historiography on Medieval India
Max. Marks : 125
Theory : 100
Internal Assessment: 25
Time : 3 hours.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PAPER SETTERS AND CANDIDATES:
(i) There will be 9 questions in all. The candidate will be required to attempt 5 questions.
(ii) Question No.1 will be compulsory and carry 20 marks. It will consist of 8 short
questions, spread over the entire syllabus. The candidate is required to attempt any 5
short answer type questions. Each short question, carrying 4 marks, will be answered
in 80-100 words.
(iii) Remaining part of the question paper will be divided into four units, corresponding to
the four units of the syllabus. The paper setter will set 2 essay type questions from
each unit. The candidate will attempt 4 essay type questions, selecting one from each
unit. Each essay type question will carry 20 marks.
(iv) The paper setter is expected to follow the Recommended Readings and set questions
on the sub-themes or parts of a theme, rather than the topic as a whole.
Unit I
British writings from the late eighteenth century onwards: Alexander Dow; James Mill;
Mountstuart Elphinstone; Henry Elliot.
7
Unit II
Pre-independence phase: Mohammad Habib’s interpretation of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni; his
contribution to the study of Sufism; Jadunath Sarkar’s interpretation of the reign of Aurangzeb.
Unit III
Post-independence phase: Marxist understanding of socio-economic changes in the Delhi
Sultanate; explanations of the decline of the Mughal Empire; emergence of the communalist
approach; historian’s response to Ayodhaya.
Unit IV
New fields of historical research; theories of Islamization; a subaltern perspective on the Meos;
treatment of the eighteenth century in historical writings; approaches to regional history with
reference to north-western India; Recent debates in Sikh History.
Recommended Reading
1. Alam, Muzaffar The Crisis of Empire in Mughal North India: Awadh and the
Punjab 1707-1748, OUP, Delhi, 1986
2. Alam, Muzaffar &
Subrahmanyam,
Sanjay, (ed.),
The Mughal State 1526-1750, OUP, Delhi, 1998
3. Alavi, Seema, (Ed.), The Eighteenth Century in India, OUP, Delhi, 2002
4. Chandra, Satish Historiography, Religion and State in Medieval India, Har-
Anand, New Delhi, 1996.
5. Chandra, Satish Essays in Medieval Indian History, OUP, Delhi, 2003
6. Eaton, Richard.M, The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier 1204-1760, OUP,
Delhi, 1997
7. Grewal, J.S. Muslim Rule in India: The Assessment of British Historians,
OUP, Calcutta, 1970.
8. Grewal, J.S. Contesting Interpretations of Sikh History, Manohar, New
Delhi,
9. Habib, Irfan, ‘An Economic History of the Delhi Sultanate: An Essay in
Interpretation’, The Indian Historical Review, Vol. IV, 1978.
10. Habib, Irfan The Agrarian System of Mughal India 1550-1707, Second
Revised Edition, OUP, Delhi, 1999.
11. Kulke, Hermann (ed.), The State in India 1000-1700, OUP, Delhi, 1997.
12. Kumar, Sunil The Emergence of the Delhi Sultanate 1192-1286,
Permanent Black, Ranikhet, 2007.
13. Lal, Vinay The History of History: Politics and Scholarship in Modern
India, OUP, Delhi, 2003.
14. Marshall, P.J. (ed.) The Eighteenth Century in Indian History: Evolution or
Revolution?, OUP, New Delhi, 2005.
15. Mayaram, Shail Against History, Against State: Counterperspectives from the
Margins, Permanent Back, New Delhi, 2004.
8
16. Nizami, K.A. (Ed.), Politics and Society During the Early Medieval Period:
Collected Works of Professor Mohammad Habib, Vol.I,
Peoples Publishing House, New Delhi, 1974.
17. Pawar, Kiran Siri Jadunath Sarkar: A Profile in Historiography, Books
and Books, New Delhi, 1985.
18. Ray, Bharati (ed) Different Types of History, Phisbic, Vol.XIV, Pt.4, OUP,
Delhi
19. Sachdeva, Veena Polity and Economy in the Punjab during the late Eighteenth
Century, Manohar, New Delhi, 1993.
20. Singh, Chetan Region and Empire: Punjab in the Seventeenth Century,
OUP, Delhi, 1991.
21. Subodh, Sanjay Historiography of Medieval India: A Study of Mohammad
Habib, Manak Publications, New Delhi, 2000.
22. Thapar, Romila,
Harbans Mukhia and
Bipan Chandra
Communalism and the Writing of Indian History, Peoples
Publishing House, New Delhi, Reprint, 1987.
H2 Opt.(iii) : Trends in Historiography of Modern India
Max. Marks : 125
Theory : 100
Internal Assessment: 25
Time: 3 hrs.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PAPER SETTERS AND CANDIDATES:
(i) There will be 9 questions in all. The candidate will be required to attempt 5 questions.
(ii) Question No.1 will be compulsory and carry 20 marks. It will consist of 8 short
questions, spread over the entire syllabus. The candidate is required to attempt any 5
short answer type questions. Each short question, carrying 4 marks, will be answered
in 80-100 words.
(iii) Remaining part of the question paper will be divided into four units, corresponding to
the four units of the syllabus. The paper setter will set 2 essay type questions from
each unit. The candidate will attempt 4 essay type questions, selecting one from each
unit. Each essay type question will carry 20 marks.
(iv) The paper setter is expected to follow the Recommended Readings and set questions
on the sub-themes or parts of a theme, rather than the topic as a whole.
Unit I
European writings on Indian history in the 19th & 20th centuries; Orientnationalism British
interpretation of Indian polity, society, and economy; Nationalism in history writing; Nationalist
response to colonial historiography.
9
Unit II
Marxist approach to Modern Indian History: Marxist approach in understanding Colonialism;
Indian National Movement and Partition; Emergence of the Communalist approach;
Communalists and the Indian National Movement, Secularism and communalism; Communalism
and Fundamentalism.
Unit III
Subaltern approach to Modern History : Concept of ‘history from below’, Early Subaltern
historiography with special reference to their content, sources & methodology; Changes and
new trends in subaltern writing; Challenges of Post-modernism and its impact.
Unit IV
New fields of historical research: Gender, Science, Technology and environmental history; Study
of Regional history with reference to North-western Region; Current debates.
Recommended Readings
1. Chandra, Bipan ‘Nationalist Historians Interpretations of the Indian National
Movement’, Situating Indian History for Sarvapalli Gopal, eds.
Sabyasachi Bhattacharya and Romila Thapar, OUP, Delhi, 1986,
194-238.
2. Chandra, Bipin Communalism in Modern India, 2nd edn., Vikas Publishers, Delhi,
1987.
3. Das, Veena ‘Subaltern as Perspective’ Subaltern Studies VI (ed. Ranjit Guha),
Oxford India Paperback, Delhi, 1994, 310-24.
4. Desai, A.R. Social Background of Indian Nationalism, People’s Publishing
House, Bombay, 1959.
5. Desai, Neera &
Maithreyi Krishnaraj:
‘Introduction’, Women and Society in India, Ajanta, Delhi, 1987,
1-24.
6. Everett, J.M. Women and Social Change in India, Heritage, New Delhi, 1981
7. Forbes, Geraldine Women in Modern India, Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, 1996
8. Grewal, J.S. Historical Perspectives on Sikh Identity, Manohar, New Delhi,
2000.
9. Guha, Ranjit ‘On some Aspects of the Historiography of Colonial India’,
Subaltern Studies I, OUP, 1982, 1-8.
10. Guha, Ranjit An Indian Historiography of India: A nineteenth century agenda
and its implications, K.P. Bagchi & Co., Calcutta.
11. Habib, Irfan Problems of Marxist Historiography, Social Scientist, 16 (12)
December, 1988.
10
12. Habib, Irfan Science and Technology, OUP, New Delhi, 2007
13. Hobsawm, Eric J. Nations and Nationalism since 1780. Programme, Myth, Reality,
Canto, Cambridge, 1992.
14. Kumar, Deepak Science and the Raj, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 1995.
15. Lal, Vinay The History of History: Politics and Scholarship in Modern India,
Oxford University Press, Delhi, 2003.
16. Majumdar, R.C. Historiograpahy in Modern India, Asia Publishing House,
Bombay, 1970.
17. Mukhopadhaya, Subodh
Kumar
Evolution of Historiography in Modern India, 1900-1960, K.P.
Bagchi & Co., Calcutta, 1981.
18. Mukhopadhyaya,
Subodh K.
Evolution of Historiography in Modern India, 1900-1960, K.P.
Bagchi, Calcutta,1981.
19. Phillips, C.H. (Ed.), Historians of India, Pakistan and Ceylon, Oxford University
Press, 1961.
20. Prakash, Gyan, Writing Post-Orientalist Histories of the Third World:
Perspectives from Indian Historiography’, in Comparative
Studies in Society and History, Vol.32, No.2 (April 1990),
pp.383-408
21. Raina, Dhruv and
Habib, Irfan (Eds.)
Situating History of Science: Dialogues with Joseph Needham,
Oxford University Press, Delhi, 1999, pp.1-25
22. Ray, Bharati (ed) Different Types of History, PHISPIC, Vol.XIV, Pt.4, OUP, Delhi.
23. Sangari, Kum Kum &
Vaid
Recasting Women, Kali for Women, New Delhi, 1989.
24. Sarkar, Sumit Modern India, Macmillan 1983 (reprint 1984, 1985),
Introduction, 4-11.
25. Sarkar, Sumit ‘Popular Culture Community Power: Three Studies of Modern
Indian Social History’, Studies in History, Vol.8, No.2, 1992,
309-24.
26. Sarkar, Sumit Marxian Approaches to the History of Indian Nationalism, K.P.
Bagchi, Delhi, 1990.
27. Sen, S.P. (ed.), Historians and Historiography in Modern India, Institute of
Historical Studies, Calcutta, 1973.
28. Sen, S.P., ed. Historians and Historiography in Modern India, Institute of
Historical Studies, Calcutta, 1973.
11
29. Thapar, Romila and
others,
Communialism and the Writing of Indian History, NBT, Delhi,
1979.
30. Thapar, Romila,
Chandra Bipin and
Mukhia Harbans,
Communalism in the Writing of Indian History, People’s
Publishing Housing House, Delhi, 1969.
H3: Techniques of Research Presentation
Max. Marks : 100
Internal Assessment: 20
1. Examination of literary sources
2. Analysis of secondary works
3. Techniques of survey and interview
4. Selection of subject
5. Formulation of hypothesis and questions
6. Note taking and organization of data
7. Documentation and presentation
Note: To be combined with short assignments, and
(a) Book Review: 20 marks
(b) Review of Literature: 20 marks
(c) Presentation of Seminar in the chosen area of specialization : 40 marks
Recommended Reading
1. Barzun, J. and Henry
Graff
The Modern Researcher, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,
New York, 1977.
2. Webster, John C.B. Studying History, Macmillan, Delhi, 1997.
Reference Reading
1. Elton, G.R. The Practice of History, Collins/Fontana, Great Britain
1976 (7th impression).
2. Ludmilla, Jordanova History in Practice, Arnold, London, 2000.
