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Questions and Answers
Why do some people find history boring?
Because they think it is all about memorizing dates.
Why is history considered to be about changes?
One clear date can be fixed for the development of a new taste like drinking tea in India.
False
In Indian history, dates are not always precisely dated in terms of a particular year, but events occur over a _____ of time.
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Match the following British Governor-Generals with their roles:
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According to Mill, what did he feel British rule could do for India?
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Did historians traditionally divide Indian history into 'ancient', 'medieval', and 'modern' periods?
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What were the forces associated with the 'modern' period in the West?
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What term do many historians use to refer to the period of British rule in India?
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Match the surveying practices with their purpose:
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James Mill divided Indian history into three periods – Hindu, Muslim, Christian.
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Official documents help us understand what?
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What is the problem with the periodization of Indian history that James Mill offers?
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Why did the British preserve official documents?
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How will the information historians get from old newspapers be different from that found in police reports?
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Can you think of examples of surveys in your world today? What can historians derive from such surveys?
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Study Notes
How Important are Dates?
- Historians used to be fascinated with dates, but this conception of history is not entirely true.
- History is about changes that occur over time, and it involves finding out how things were in the past and how they have changed.
Understanding Historical Questions
- Historical questions refer us back to notions of time, but time doesn't have to be precisely dated.
- Processes that happen over a period of time can't be fixed to a single date.
- Examples of historical questions include: when did people start drinking tea or coffee, when were railways built, and how did people travel long distances before the age of railways.
Association of History with Dates
- Historians used to write about rulers and their policies, and specific dates were important for these events.
- However, historians now write about a host of other issues, such as how people earned their livelihood, what they produced and ate, how cities developed, and how cultures and society changed.
- The dates we select become vital because we focus on a particular set of events as important.
Periodising History
- Periodising history involves dividing it into different periods to capture the characteristics of a time.
- The terms we use to periodise reflect our ideas about the past and show how we see the significance of change from one period to the next.
- James Mill's periodisation of Indian history into Hindu, Muslim, and British periods has been widely accepted, but it has its problems.
British Classification of Indian History
- Mill's periodisation was based on the idea that British rule represented all the forces of progress and civilisation.
- The period before British rule was seen as one of darkness, and India was not capable of progress without British help.
- This conception of history can be problematic, as it suggests that the lives and practices of others do not matter.
Alternative Periodisations
- Historians have divided Indian history into 'ancient', 'medieval', and 'modern', but this division too has its problems.
- The 'modern' period is associated with the growth of modernity, but this characterisation is borrowed from the West.
- Many historians refer to the period of British rule as 'colonial', which involves the subjugation of one country by another and leads to political, economic, social, and cultural changes.
Colonisation and its Impact
- Colonisation involves the subjugation of one country by another, leading to changes in politics, economy, society, and culture.
- The British came to conquer India, establish their rule, and subjugate local nawabs and rajas.
- They established control over the economy and society, collected revenue, bought goods at low prices, and produced crops for export.
Multiple Pasts
- The book is called "Our Pasts" in the plural because all classes and groups did not experience the changes brought by British rule in the same way.
Sources of History
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Official records of the British administration are an important source of history.
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The British believed that the act of writing was important, and every instruction, plan, policy decision, agreement, and investigation had to be clearly written up.
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Record rooms were set up in administrative institutions to preserve important records.
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Archives and museums were established to preserve important records.
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Letters and memos that moved from one branch of the administration to another can still be read in the archives.### Introduction
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In the early 19th century, provincial administrators in India carefully copied documents, which were beautifully written by calligraphists.
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By the mid-19th century, printing allowed for multiple copies of these records, which were printed as proceedings of each government department.
The National Archives of India
- The National Archives of India was established in the 1920s.
- The location of the National Archives and National Museum in New Delhi, close to the Viceregal Palace, reflected their importance in British imagination.
Surveys and Census
- The British believed that a country had to be properly known before it could be effectively administered.
- Detailed surveys were conducted to map the entire country, including revenue surveys in villages.
- The effort was to gather information on topography, soil quality, flora, fauna, local histories, and cropping patterns.
- Census operations were held every ten years from the end of the 19th century, providing detailed records of the population, including information on castes, religions, and occupations.
Botanical Gardens and Natural History Museums
- The British established botanical gardens and natural history museums in India, which collected plant specimens and information about their uses.
- Local artists were asked to draw pictures of these specimens.
Official Records and Sources
- Official records provide information on what officials thought, but do not reveal the thoughts and feelings of other people in the country.
- Historians need to look elsewhere for sources, such as diaries, accounts of pilgrims and travelers, autobiographies, popular booklets, and newspapers.
Newspapers and Accounts
- Newspapers provide accounts of movements and events in different parts of the country.
- For example, a report from 1946 describes a police strike in Delhi, where over 2,000 policemen refused to take their food in protest against low salaries and poor food quality.
Images and Representations
- Images need to be carefully studied as they project the viewpoint of those who create them.
- For example, an image from an illustrated book produced by the British after the 1857 rebellion shows the rebels as greedy, vicious, and brutal.
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Description
Test your knowledge of Indian history, including the development of new tastes, the role of British Governor-Generals, and the impact of British rule on India.
