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STORIA E ISTITUZIONI DELL'ASIA
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI "L'ORIENTALE"
Dati Generali
Periodo di attività
Syllabus
Obiettivi Formativi
Expected Learning Outcomes
The course aims to equip students with the tools and knowledge to critically understand and interpret the main social, political, and economic developments of contemporary India. These developments will be analyzed from a historical perspective, tracing the long-term processes that began in the late colonial period and their impact on today's India. The seminar part of the course will delve into four complex and interrelated themes with systemic characteristics crucial to India's political development: the system of international relations, the caste system, the economic system, and the ethnic-majoritarian system. The course will help students understand the interdependence among these systems and trace their long-term origins and consequences.
Ability to Apply Knowledge and Understanding
The course will enable students to analyze contemporary India from a historical perspective. Students will be encouraged to critically interpret the provided educational materials, identifying their strengths and weaknesses. They will need to demonstrate the ability to construct and present original interpretations of the materials using specialized language and place them in relevant scientific debates. Finally, students should be able to trace the long-term consequences of the historical processes analyzed during the course.
Additional Expected Learning Outcomes
Judgment Autonomy: Developing judgment autonomy is crucial for passing the course, facilitated through classroom discussions of scientific texts, group and individual presentations, and writing a final paper.
Communication Skills: Communication skills will be developed through classroom discussions, presentations, and the final paper. Different communication skills (argumentation and debate, oral presentation of individual/group research, written argumentation) will be targeted for different audiences.
Learning Ability: The course will enable students to read and critically interpret specialized texts, preparing them for future professional settings or further academic studies and an academic career.
Prerequisiti
A good knowledge of English
Metodi didattici
The course is divided into two parts. In the first part, spanning five weeks, the course will consist of frontal lectures covering major historical-political events from the mid-18th century (the advent of colonialism) to the present day (Modi's India). Even during frontal lectures, students will be strongly encouraged to interact with the teacher and each other. The second part will be seminar-based, focusing on discussing provided texts and educational materials. This part will analyze the most significant political and social processes of independent India.
Verifica Apprendimento
The course includes 'continuous assessment' for attending students, consisting of various evaluations throughout the semester. The exam comprises:
Class Participation (10%): Evaluation based on the quantity and quality of classroom interventions and discussion skills on the topics covered.
Test on Major Events in Contemporary Indian History (15%): A multiple-choice test at the end of part one to assess knowledge of the fundamental events and processes of contemporary Indian history discussed in lectures.
Class Presentations (25%): Students will prepare several presentations during the semester based on individual or group research and seminar readings.
Written Paper and Discussion (50%): Students will choose a question from those provided by the teacher and respond with a 2,500-word paper. The paper will then be discussed and defended orally.
The final grade will be a weighted average of these four components.
Not attending students should prepare for an oral examination based on Ramachandra Guha, India After Gandhi, (any available edition). Alternatively, the students can conctat the professor to agree to a different programme, based on their own interests.
Testi
Reference Texts for Attending Students:
Educational materials provided by the teacher during the course.
General Texts on Indian History:
Micheguglielmo Torri, "Storia dell’India," Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2007.
David Ludden, "Storia dell'India e dell'Asia del Sud e del Sud Est asiatico," Torino, Einaudi, 2011.
Sugata Bose and Ayesha Jalal, "Modern South Asia: History, Culture, Political Economy," Routledge, Oxon, 2011.
Ramachandra Guha, India AFter Gandhi, Pan MacMillan, 2023
The educational materials (in English) for the seminar part will be provided at the beginning of the course.
Contenuti
Part 1 - India from the British conquest to Narendra Modi
1. British India before 1857
2. British India after 1857
3. Nationalisms and the road to partition
4. Independence, partition and the Nehruvian system 1947-66
5. The dismantling of the Nehruvian system 1967-89
6. India after 1989: Mandal, Mandir and Market
7. Modi’s India
Part 2 – Contemporary India (1947-2025)
1. The partition and its political, social and geopolitical consequences
2. Hindu nationalism and extremism and the construction of a Hindu state
3. The caste system
4. The economic system: a very poor great power
5. India in the international system
Lingua Insegnamento
English