HSY2105

The Great Divide: Religion and Genocide in 20th Century India

(ART)

Ian Copland

6 points + 2.5 hours per week + Second semester + Clayton + Prerequisites: A first-year sequence in History or permission + Prohibition: HSY3105

Synopsis: The Indian subcontinent was partitioned in 1947 to create two new national states, India and Pakistan on the basis of religion. The consequences were tumultuous and tragic. Millions of Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims found themselves in the wrong side of the new boundary and were converted instantly to refugees. The Great Divide explores the roots of the partition scheme, investigates how it was implemented, and tries to understand the psychology that lay behind the collective violence of 1947. It also looks at the results of the partition, such as the ongoing Indo-Pakistani standoff over Kashmir. Lastly the subject interrogates, with reference to India in 1947, the meaning of /events0 in history.

Assessment: Class participation: 10% + Verbal class presentation: 20% + Essay (3000 words): 50% + Test (1 hour): 20%