HOW HISTORY TEXTBOOKS SHAPED INDIAN POLITICS

The politicization of history in India intertwines colonial legacies, nationalist narratives, textbook revisions, and oral traditions, shaping contemporary ideological debates.

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The interplay between politics and history in contemporary India is deeply rooted in the nation's colonial past and has evolved through various phases, each reflecting the prevailing political ideologies and objectives of the time.

COLONIAL ERA: BRITISH HISTORIOGRAPHY AND INDIAN RESPONSE

During British colonial rule, the British administration sought to reinterpret Indian history to align with their colonial objectives. They employed Bengali scholars to translate significant Bengali texts into English, aiming to present Indian history from a colonial perspective.

Notably, three Bengali employees of the East India Company in Calcutta recognised the implications of this endeavour and authored the first modern histories of India. Their works demonstrated an acute awareness of the power dynamics in historiography and a determination to prevent the colonial administration from monopolising the narrative of Indian history.

NATIONALIST HISTORIANS AND THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT

As the Indian freedom movement gained momentum, a cohort of eminent Indian historians emerged, often referred to as nationalist historians. These scholars produced comprehensive works on various aspects of Indian history, including administration, social conditions, and education. They were proficient in disciplines such as epigraphy and languages like Sanskrit, Persian, and regional vernaculars, grounding their research in indigenous sources. Their contributions remain significant and continue to meet modern criteria for historical scholarship.

POST-INDEPENDENCE HISTORIOGRAPHY: IMPORTED IDEOLOGIES