Indian Political Thought-II

By Dr. Homen Thangjam | Department of Political Science and Human Rights Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) Regional Campus, Manipur

Learners enrolled: 317

The course on Modern Indian Political Thought is important for many critical reasons. India is considered to have contributed immensely to the field of philosophy. Ancient religious texts from diverse faiths such as Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism have had profound impact on the thought process of the thinkers. This is one fascinating fact about Modern Indian Political Thought – ability of the thinkers to challenge colonial modernity with indigenous ideas. Language and metaphors used by the thinkers were able to awaken Indians from colonial yoke as well as from the evils of orthodoxy and social practices. Nevertheless, the thinkers were also informed by enlightenment ideas that were current at that time, thereby, making a fusion of ideas from the West as well as the East to shape nationalism and the very idea of modern India.

As India is diverse so is the thought process. The course introduces these myriad diversities starting with Raja Rammohan Roy who was informed by Western liberal idea to Sarvakar who championed a nationalist philosophy of Hindu Rastra. Then, there are the universalists in Vivekananda and indigenous socialist in Lohia and secularist like Nehru. Pandita Ramabai’s ideas on women’s emancipation and Ambedkar’s theory of social justice for the down trodden are unique contributions and major highlights of the course. In all these strands of thought process we find the unique place of Gandhi.

Studying Modern Indian Political thought can enable the young students to understand how the discipline provides an alternative to Eurocentric ideas – be it the idea of nation, nationalism, justice, secularism, community and rights, etc. Thus, the course is expected to equip students with epistemically contentious issues while constantly looking at the relevant aspect of each philosophical juncture, thereby helping in the development of a critical mindset.

Summary

Course Status :	Upcoming
Course Type :	Core
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	15 weeks
Category :	Political Science
Credit Points :	5
Level :	Undergraduate
Start Date :	13 Jan 2025
End Date :	30 Apr 2025
Enrollment Ends :	28 Feb 2025
Exam Date :	18 May 2025 IST
NCrF Level	5.5
Industry Details :	Teaching
EXAM SHIFT :	II

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

WEEK 1

1.1 Legacy and influence of the past on Modern Indian Political Thought

1.2 Nationalism in India: The Outset

1.3 Nationalism Views on Colonialism in India

2.1Colonial Modernity and the Nationalist Response

2.2 Colonialism and Education: The rise of new middle class

2.3Western liberal nationalism and its values: An impact assessment

3.1 Dialectical interaction between ideas and contexts

3.2 Influence on articulation of Nationalism and freedom struggle

3.3 Freedom of Press

4.1 Impact of colonialism: A socio-economic aspect

4.2 Drain of Wealth and Indian realization

4.3 Understanding the colonial questions in India: An overall assessment

WEEK 2

5.1 The Moderates and Economic Critique of Colonialism

5.2 Question of Deindustrialization and Foreign Trade

6.1 European Enlightenment and Raja Rammohan Roy: A Liberal Thinker

6.2 Raja Rammohan Roy: Criticism and Conclusion

7.1 Reforms and Revival: Brahmo Samaj and Prathana Samaj

7.2 Ramakrishna Pramhansa and Swami Vivekananda

8.1 Women and Social Reform movements in the 19th Century India

8.2 Women’s organisation in the Pre-Independent period

WEEK 3

Making of an Indian social reformer: From Arya Mahila Samaj to Mukti Mission

10.1 Pandita Ramabai: On Woman’s Place in Religion and Society

10.2 Pandita Ramabai: On Women’s education and Emancipation

10.3 Pandita Ramabai: Criticism and Conclusion

11.1 Swami Vivekananda: Background and the Context

11.2 Interpretation of the Vedanta Philosophy

11.3 The Real and the Apparent Man

12.1 Swami Vivekananda: On Nationalism

12.2 Swami Vivekananda: Criticism and Conclusion

WEEK 4

13.1 Gandhian Nationalism: A study of his Method

13.2 Making of the Mahatma: Background and the Context

13.3 Mahatma Gandhi: On Satyagraha: Power of the Soul

14.1 Conceptualising Swaraj

14.2 Characteristics of Swaraj: Complementariness of negative and positive characteristics of Swaraj in Gandhian formulation

14.3 Mahatama Gandhi:: Criticism and Conclusion

15.1 The legacy of M.N. Roy and Communism

15.2 M.N. Roy and Lenin Debate

16.1 Caste and Ambedkar

16.2 B.R. Ambedkar: From an untouchable to an eminent constitutionalist, distinguished parliamentarian, scholar and jurist, and the leader of the Depressed Classes

WEEK 5

17.1 Ambedkar’s critique of the Hindu Social System

17.2 Social Democracy as a basis of Social Justice: Centrality of Liberty, equality and fraternity

18.1 Ambedkar and Gandhi: The debate

18.2 The Untouchability question and the Poona Pact

State Socialism as a means to achieve Social Justice

B.R. Ambedkar: Criticism and Conclusion

WEEK 6

Tagore: Background and the Context

Tagore’s perception of the dual role nationalism: Spirit of the West and the Nation of the West

Tagore’s criticisms of the inability of European civilization to transmit its basic civilizational traits to others vis a vis colonialism

WEEK 7

Rabindranath Tagore: Criticism and Conclusion

Trends in Islamic Reformation Movement in India

Iqbal - Passion for revival of past glory and vibrancy of Islamic thought and action: Background and the Context

WEEK 8

Poets of Indian nationalism

Pan-Islamism: Abandonment of territorial nationalism, atheist socialism and secularism

Iqbal’s reinterpretation of the basic tenets of Islam: From a religious faith of the people to a worldview of Muslim brotherhood

WEEK 9

Iqbal: Criticism and conclusion

Savarkar - A Life for the Hindu Cause: Towards a theory of cultural nationalism

Hindutva, as a political philosophy as well as a basis for establishing India as a ‘Hindu rashtra’

WEEK 10

Political reinterpretation of Meaning of Hindu and Hinduism

Savarkar: Criticism and conclusion

Nehru - Background and the Context: British Policy of divide and rule; Colonial policy of sowing seeds of communalism

WEEK 11

India, a Plural society: Shared memory of Indian culture, and need for secularism

Separation of politics from religion: Need for Government structure to encourage and sustain religious diversity

Nehrur: Criticism and conclusion

WEEK 12

Lohia - Critique of Western Ideologies: Need for evolving an indigenous theoretical construct

New Socialism: Infusing the spirit of Gandhism into western understanding of socialism

Theory of ends–means consistency, economic system rooted in the small machine technology and the idea of political decentralisation

WEEK 13

Rammanohar Lohia: Criticism and conclusion

43.1 Bal Gangadhar Tilak: Background and Context: The Birth of a Revolutionary Leader PART 1

43.2 Bal Gangadhar Tilak: Background and Context: The Birth of a Revolutionary Leader PART 2

44.1 Bal Gangadhar Tilak: From Renunciation to Resistance: Tilak’s Political Philosophy Through the Lens of the Bhagavad Gita

44.2 Bal Gangadhar Tilak: From Renunciation to Resistance: Tilak’s Political Philosophy Through the Lens of the Bhagavad Gita

WEEK 14

45.1 Bal Gangadhar TilakTilak’s Concept of Swaraj or Swarajya PART 1

45.2 Bal Gangadhar TilakTilak’s Concept of Swaraj or Swarajya PART 2

Sri Aurobindo Ghosh: From Politics to Spirituality: Background and Context

Sri Aurobindo Ghosh: Rethinking Freedom and Progress: Aurobindo’s Blueprint for Integral Evolution

WEEK 15

Sri Aurobindo: Theory of Community, Nation and Nationalism

49.1 Sri Aurobindo Ghose :Theory of Passive Resistance PART 1

49.2 Sri Aurobindo Ghose :Theory of Passive Resistance PART 2

50.1 Sri Aurobindo: Criticisms and Conclusion PART 1

50.2 Sri Aurobindo: Criticisms and Conclusion PART 2

Books and references

1. Appadorai, A., Political Thought in India, 400 B.C.–1980, Delhi: Khama Publishers, 2018.

2. Prasad, Beni, The Theory of Government in Ancient India, Allahabad: The Indian Press. 1927.

3. Pantham, Thomas and Deutsch, Kenneth L. (eds.), Political Thought in Modern India, New Delhi: Sage Publications, 1986.

4. Guha, Ramachandra, Makers of Modern India, New York & London: Penguin Viking, 2010.

5. Jha, Mitra Nandan, Modern Indian Political Thought: Ram Mohan Roy to Present Day, Meerut: Meenakshi Prakashan, 1975.

6. Chakrabarty, Bidyut and Rajendra Kumar Pandey, Modern Indian Political Thought: Text and Context, New Delhi: Sage, 2020.

7. Chatterjee, Partha, Nationalist Thought and the Colonial World: A Derivative Discourse. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1986.
8. Singh, Aakash and Mohapatra, Silika (eds.), Indian Political Thought: A Reader, New York: Routledge, 2010.

Instructor bio

Dr. Homen Thangjam

Department of Political Science and Human Rights Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) Regional Campus, Manipur

Dr. Homen Thangjam is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science & Human Rights in Indira Gandhi National Tribal University – Regional Campus Manipur University. He completed his PhD. in 2005 from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi in Political Sociology. He has contributed academic papers in many national and international journals. He had worked with various multinational companies in project scoping and research for agro-related projects.