Course objective: Based on the study of individual thinkers, the course introduces a wide span of thinkers and themes that defines the modernity of Indian political thought. The objective is to study general themes that have been produced by thinkers from varied social and temporal contexts. Selected extracts from original texts are also given to discuss in the class with a critical appreciation. The list of additional readings is meant for teachers as well as the more interested students.
Reading List:
· V. Mehta and T. Pantham (eds.), (2006) ‘A Thematic Introduction to Political Ideas in ModernIndia: Thematic Explorations, History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian civilization’Vol. 10, Part: 7, New Delhi: Sage Publications
· D. Dalton, (1982) ‘Continuity of Innovation’, in Indian Idea of Freedom: Political Thought ofSwami Vivekananda, Aurobindo Ghose, Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi,Academic Press: Gurgaon
· R. Roy, (1991) ‘The Precepts of Jesus, the Guide to Peace and Happiness’, S. Hay, (ed.)Sources of Indian Tradition, Vol. 2. Second Edition. New Delhi: Penguin, pp. 24-29.
· C. Bayly, (2010) ‘Rammohan and the Advent of Constitutional Liberalism in India 1800-1830’, in Sh. Kapila (ed.), An intellectual History for India, New Delhi: Cambridge UniversityPress, pp. 18- 34.
· T. Pantham, (1986) ‘The Socio-Religious Thought of Rammohan Roy’, in Th. Panthom andK. Deutsch, (eds.) Political Thought in Modern India, New Delhi: Sage, pp.32-52.
· S. Sarkar, (1985) ‘Rammohan Roy and the break With the Past’, in A Critique on colonialIndia, Calcutta: Papyrus, pp. 1-17.
· P. Ramabai, (2000) ‘Woman’s Place in Religion and Society’, in M. Kosambi
(ed.), Pandita
· Ramabai Through her Own Words: Selected Works, New Delhi: Oxford University Press,pp. 150-155.
· M. Kosambi, (1988) ‘Women’s Emancipation and Equality: Pandita Ramabai’s Contributionto Women’s Cause’, in Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 23(44), pp. 38-49.
· U. Chakravarti, (2007) Pandita Ramabai - A Life and a Time, New Delhi: Critical Quest, pp.1-40.
· G. Omvedt, (2008) ‘Ramabai: Women in the Kingdom of God’, in Seeking Begumpura: TheSocial Vision of Anti Caste Intellectuals, New Delhi: Navayana. pp. 205-224.
· S. Vivekananda, (2007) ‘The Real and the Apparent Man’, S. Bodhasarananda (ed.),Selections from the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama, pp.126-129.
· A. Sen, (2003) ‘Swami Vivekananda on History and Society’, in Swami Vivekananda, Delhi:Oxford University Press, pp. 62- 79.
· H. Rustav, (1998) ‘Swami Vivekananda and the Ideal Society’, in W. Radice (ed.), SwamiVivekananda and the Modernisation of Hinduism, Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 264-280.
· M. Gandhi, (1991) ‘Satyagraha: Transforming Unjust Relationships through the Power ofthe Soul’, in S. Hay (ed.), Sources of Indian Tradition, Vol. 2.Second Edition, New Delhi:Penguin, pp. 265-270.
· A. Parel, (ed.), (2002) ‘Introduction’, in Gandhi, freedom and Self Rule, Delhi: VistaarPublication.
· D. Dalton, (1982) Indian Idea of Freedom: Political Thought of Swami Vivekananda,AurobindoGhose, Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, Gurgaon: The AcademicPress, pp. 154- 190.
· B. Ambedkar, (1991) ‘Constituent Assembly Debates’, S. Hay (ed.), Sources of IndianTradition, Vol. 2, Second Edition, New Delhi: Penguin, pp. 342-347.
· PhukonGirin, Glimpse to Political Thought, DVS Publishers, Guwahati, 2013
· V. Rodrigues, (2007) ‘Good society, Rights, Democracy Socialism’, in S. Thorat and Aryama(eds.), Ambedkar in Retrospect - Essays on Economics, Politics and Society, Jaipur: IIDS andRawat Publications.
· B. Mungekar, (2007) ‘Quest for Democratic Socialism’, in S. Thorat, and Aryana (eds.),Ambedkar in Retrospect - Essays on Economics, Politics and Society, Jaipur: IIDS and RawatPublications, pp. 121-142.
· P. Chatterjee, (2005) ‘Ambedkar and the Troubled times of Citizenship’, in V. Mehta andTh. Pantham (eds.), Political ideas in modern India: Thematic Explorations, New Delhi:Sage, pp. 73-92.
· R. Tagore, (1994) ‘The Nation’, S. Das (ed.), The English Writings of Rabindranath Tagore,Vol. 3, New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, pp. 548-551.
· R. Chakravarty, (1986) ‘Tagore, Politics and Beyond’, in Th. Panthams and K.
Deutsch (eds.),Political Thought in Modern India, New Delhi: Sage, pp. 177-191.
· M. Radhakrishnan, and Debasmita, (2003) ‘Nationalism is a Great Menace: Tagore andNationalism’ in P. Hogan, Colm and L. Pandit, (eds.) Rabindranath Tagore: Universality andTradition, London: Rosemont Publishing and Printing Corporation, pp. 29-39.
· M. Iqbal, (1991) ‘Speeches and Statements’, in S. Hay (ed.), Sources of Indian Tradition,Vol. 2, Second Edition, New Delhi: Penguin, pp. 218-222.
· A. Engineer, (1980) ‘Iqbal’s Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam’, in
SocialScientist, Vol.8 (8), pp. 52-63.
· Madani, (2005) Composite Nationalism and Islam, New Delhi: Manohar, pp. 66- 91.
· J. Nehru, (1991) ‘Selected Works’, in S. Hay (ed.), Sources of Indian Tradition, Vol. 2,
Second Edition, New Delhi: Penguin, pp. 317-319.
· R. Pillai, (1986) ‘Political thought of Jawaharlal Nehru’, in Th. Pantham, and K.
Deutsch(eds.), Political Thought in Modem India, New Delhi: Sage, pp. 260- 274.
· B. Zachariah, (2004) Nehru, London: Routledge Historical Biographies, pp. 169- 213.
· M. Anees and V. Dixit (eds.), (1984) Lohia: Many Faceted Personality, Rammanohar LohiaSmarak Smriti.
· S. Sinha, (2010) ‘Lohia’s Socialism: An underdog’s perspective’, in Economic and PoliticalWeekly, Vol. XLV (40) pp. 51-55.
· A. Kumar, (2010) ‘Understanding Lohia’s Political Sociology: Intersectionality of Caste, Class,Gender and Language Issue’, in Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XLV (40), pp. 64-70.
Course objective: Philosophy and politics are closely intertwined. We explore this convergence by identifying five main tendencies here. Students will be exposed to the manner in which the questions of politics have been posed in terms that have implications for larger questions of thought and existence.
Reading List:
· Review: I. Kant. (1784) ‘What is Enlightenment?,’ available at
http://theliterarylink.com/kant.html, Accessed: 19.04.2013
· S. Hall (1992) ‘Introduction’, in Formations of Modernity UK: Polity Press pages 1- 16
· B. Nelson, (2008) Western Political Thought. New York: Pearson Longman, pp. 221-255.
· M. Keens-Soper, (2003) ‘Jean Jacques Rousseau: The Social Contract’, in M. Forsyth and M. Keens-Soper, (eds) A Guide to the Political Classics: Plato to Rousseau. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 171-202.
· C. Jones, (2002) ‘Mary Wollstonecraft’s Vindications and their Political Tradition’ in
C. Johnson, (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to Mary Wollstonecraft, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 42-58.
· S. Ferguson, (1999) ‘The Radical Ideas of Mary Wollstonecraft’, in Canadian Journal of Political Science XXXII (3), pp. 427-50, Available at http://digitalcommons.ryerson.ca/politics, Accessed: 19.04.2013.
· H. Magid, (1987) ‘John Stuart Mill’, in L. Strauss and J. Cropsey, (eds), History of Political Philosophy, 2nd edition. Chicago: Chicago University Press, pp. 784-801.
· P. Kelly, (2003) ‘J.S. Mill on Liberty’, in D. Boucher, and P. Kelly, (eds.) Political Thinkers: From Socrates to the Present. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 324-359.
· J. Cropsey, (1987) ‘Karl Marx’, in L. Strauss and J. Cropsey, (eds) History of Political Philosophy, 2ndEdition. Chicago: Chicago University Press, pp. 802-828.
· L. Wilde, (2003) ‘Early Marx’, in D. Boucher and P. Kelly, P. (eds) Political Thinkers: From Socrates to the Present. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 404-435.
· V. Bryson, (1992) ‘Marxist Feminism in Russia’ in Feminist Political Theory,
London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 114-122
· C. Sypnowich, (1993) ‘Alexandra Kollontai and the Fate of Bolshevik Feminism’
Labour/Le Travail Vol. 32 (Fall 1992) pp. 287-295
· A. Skoble and T. Machan, (2007) Political Philosophy: Essential Selections, New Delhi: Pearson Education, pp. 328-354.
· Phukon Girin, Glimpse to Political Thought, DVS Publishers, Guwahati, 2013
· B. Ollman (1991) Marxism: An Uncommon Introduction, New Delhi: Sterling Publishers.
· G. Blakely and V. Bryson (2005) Marx and Other Four Letter Words, London: Pluto
· A. Kollontai, (1977) ‘Social Democracy and the Women’s Question’, in Selected Writings of Alexandra Kollontai, London: Allison & Busby, pp. 29-74.
· C. Porter, (1980) Alexandra Kollontai: The Lonely Struggle of the Woman who defied Lenin, New York: Dutton Children’s Books.
· Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky
· Noam Chomsky, Manufacturing Consent