Culture and Identity in Modern South Asia
Duration: Three weeks.
Overview
Start of programme: 1 July 2013
The question of identity lies at the heart of much contemporary debate in and beyond south Asia. We will interrogate what we mean by ‘identity’ – if it is a thing to be possessed, an essence in the character of a community or something more complex, fluid and changing, or whether it exists at all.
Classes are organised around a number of themes: Changing environments; Urbanisation; Caste; Religious Reform; Gender; Nationalism; Decolonisation; and Postcolonial states. Topics to be covered within the thematic clusters include: technological change, the making of peasant societies; colonial knowledge and colonial law, Hindu and Muslim religious change, Communism, Untouchability, Partition and its experience, democracy and military authoritarianism, ethno-linguistic and religious movements. We will look at intellectual, cultural, social, economic and political change over the period of two hundred years with a view to understanding the historical processes that underpin some of the main debates around identity in south Asia and among south Asians.
Dates
The summer school will run from Monday 1 July - Friday 19 July 2013.
Social Programme
You will also be able to enjoy our social programme, starting with a welcome party and a river cruise on the Thames. A guided tour of historical Bloomsbury where SOAS is situated will help you find your way around the campus area. You will also receive discount codes for day trips and overnight tours with our partner International Friends once you have registered for one of our courses.
Further details: www.internationalfriends.co.uk.
Fees
Tuition
A tuition fee of £1250 will be charged per 3 week programme. This figure does not include accommodation fees.
Accommodation
A limited number of rooms will be available at International Hall which is located in the heart of Bloomsbury. You will be able to request a place once your application has been approved. Please note that the deadline for confirmation and payment of accommodation will be 17th May 2013, however you are advised to request a room as early as possible to avoid disappointment. The cost for 20 nights from 30 June - 19 July (inclusive) is £800, which includes breakfast every day. Please email sophie.dilley@soas.ac.uk to reserve place.
Application fee
A one-off, non-refundable application fee of £55 will be charged to cover administration costs.
Credits
If you intend to claim credits from your home institution, please check the requirements with them before you enrol. We will be happy to assist you in any way we can, however please be aware that the decision to award credits rests with your home institution.
Courses do not bear any UK credits but they will provide you with between 40–50 hours of face-to-face contact time, which includes lectures and tutorials, during the 3 week period. Assessment will be optional and will vary for each course. Participants will be provided with a certificate of attendance. Transcripts will be available on request.
Contacts
For more information, please email Sophie Dilley at summerschool@soas.ac.uk
Structure
The objective is to study in depth some of the main debates in South Asian history on the themes of changes in the rural and urban landscape under colonialism, caste, religious reform, law, gender, nationalism and communalism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Students will study historical examples of the colonial legacy in terms of its shaping of agrarian, caste, linguistic, religious and national identities as well as the ways in which South Asians mobilized, engaged with and changed them for themselves.
Assessment: is optional and will be in the form of a 2000-2500 words essay, to be returned by Friday the 2nd of August at the latest.
Topics:
Week 1: Introduction to the colonial state in south asia
a. New technologies, colonial territories
b. Urban and rural change
c. Colonial law
d. Caste and colonialism
Week 2: Cultural and religious reform
a. Christianity
b. Hinduism
c. Islam
d. Low caste movements
Week 3: Nationalism, partition and independence
a. Nationalism: middle classes and mass mobilization
b. Partition
c. Language and region
d. Gender and caste
Structure: The course will run from Monday - Thursday and consist of 30 hours of lectures and seminars, plus around 14 hours of extra activities such as study skills, trips and films throughout the three weeks.
Teaching & Learning
Teaching & Learning
At the end of a course, a student should be able to demonstrate:
- an understanding of the nature of British colonialism in India
- an understanding of historiographical debates and conceptual problems central to the study of colonial rule and the post-colonial nation-state in South Asian history
- critical historical thinking and cultural analysis more generally developed through close reading and discussions of prescribed texts and essay writing in the course
How to Apply
In order to join our Summer School, you will need to meet the following entry requirements:
- Have undertaken a year’s university level study
- A minimum English language requirement if English is not your first language:
- IELTS (www.ielts.org), 7 overall or higher, with at least 6.5 in all subscores.
- iBT 105+ with 22 in all subscores or 100 overall with no less than 25 in writing and no less than 22 in any other subscores.
- Or equivalent.
