Introduction to Indian Civilization - spot.colorado.eduspot.colorado.edu/~brueckl/intro-civ.pdf ·...
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1 Introduction to Indian Civilization Professor Laura Brueck Asian Languages and Civilizations Course Description This course is designed as a broad introduction to the people, history, religion, politics, culture, art, music, and cinema of India – in short, to the civilization of India. India is the largest democracy in the world, an emerging global economic power, and home to the second largest population in the world (at more than one billion, Indians account for almost 17% of the world’s population) within its borders. Outside its borders lives a huge and influential Indian diasporic population (spread across the U.K., North America, the Caribbean, and Eastern and Southern Africa) and the cultural influence of Indian art, music, cinema (Bollywood), and spiritual practice continues to grow ever stronger. India has one of the longest recorded histories in the world, and is also one of the most diverse countries in the world, being home to substantial populations of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and Jains (among others) and more than 1,600 languages and dialects! This course therefore cannot hope to provide a comprehensive study of all things Indian, but rather is organized around several of the most significant thematic topics that arguably form the “core” of Indian civilization: Hinduism, Islam, Partition (also the Independence of both India and Pakistan from English colonization), caste, gender, and class. In organizing these topics thematically, this is a class that will not necessarily move chronologically. Rather, we will consider these basic elements of Indian civilization in more comprehensive focus –
Transcript of Introduction to Indian Civilization - spot.colorado.eduspot.colorado.edu/~brueckl/intro-civ.pdf ·...
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IntroductiontoIndianCivilization
ProfessorLauraBrueckAsianLanguagesandCivilizations
CourseDescription
This course is designed as a broad introduction to the people, history,religion,politics,culture,art,music,andcinemaofIndia–inshort,tothecivilizationofIndia.Indiaisthelargestdemocracyintheworld,anemergingglobaleconomicpower,andhometothesecond largestpopulation intheworld(atmorethanonebillion, Indians account for almost 17% of the world’s population) within itsborders.OutsideitsborderslivesahugeandinfluentialIndiandiasporicpopulation(spread across theU.K., North America, the Caribbean, and Eastern and SouthernAfrica) and the cultural influence of Indian art, music, cinema (Bollywood), andspiritual practice continues to grow ever stronger. India has one of the longestrecordedhistoriesintheworld,andisalsooneofthemostdiversecountriesintheworld,beinghometosubstantialpopulationsofHindus,Muslims,Christians,Sikhs,andJains(amongothers)andmorethan1,600languagesanddialects! This course therefore cannothope toprovidea comprehensive studyof allthings Indian, but rather is organized around several of the most significantthematictopicsthatarguablyformthe“core”ofIndiancivilization:Hinduism,Islam,Partition (also the Independence of both India and Pakistan from Englishcolonization),caste,gender,andclass. Inorganizingthesetopicsthematically,thisis a class thatwillnotnecessarilymovechronologically. Rather,wewill considerthese basic elements of Indian civilization in more comprehensive focus –
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considering each in a range of temporal and historical contexts. Wewill rely onliteratureandfilmasourprimarymodesofentryintothisstudyofcivilization,butalso contextualize these readings with selections from historical, anthropological,andsociologicalstudiesofvariousaspectsofIndiansocietyandculture.MaterialsRKNarayan,TheRamayanaJohnStrattonHawleyandMarkJurgensmeyer,SongsoftheSaintsofIndiaSudhirKakarandKatharinaKakar,TheIndians:PortraitofaPeopleBapsiSidhwa,CrackingIndiaArundhatiRoy,TheGodofSmallThingsBama,HarumScarumSaarandOtherStoriesAravindAdiga,TheWhiteTigerScheduleofClassesWeekOneJan.13 welcome!
Jan.15 IntroducingIndia‐MiraKamdar,PlanetIndia:ch.1“LifeonPlanetIndia”(p.1‐23)and“AsGoesIndia,SoGoestheWorld”(p.281‐286)‐SudhirKakarandKatharinaKakar,TheIndians:“Introduction”and“TheHierarchicalMan”(p.1‐24)
CLASSICALHINDUISMWeekTwoJan.20 MAPQUIZ
‐TheRamayana,Chapters1‐4
Jan.22 ‐FinishTheRamayanaWeekThreeJan.27 ‐A.K.Ramanujan,“ThreeHundredRamayanas:FiveExamplesand
ThreeThoughtsonTranslation”(p.22‐49)inManyRamayanas,ed.byPaulaRichman(UniversityofCaliforniaPress,1991)
Jan.29 Watchinclass:RamayanaTVserialepisode(1989)
‐PhilipLutgendorf(1990).“Ramayan:TheVideo.”TheDramaReview34,p.127‐176
WeekFourFeb.3 ‐KakarandKakar:“ReligiousandSpiritualLife”(p.134‐151)
‐HawleyandJuergensmeyer,SongsoftheSaintsofIndia:Introduction–ch.3(p.3‐90)
Feb.5 ‐FinishSongsoftheSaintsofIndia
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ISLAMININDIAWeekFiveFeb.10 ‐AnnemarieSchimmel,EmpireoftheGreatMughals:ch.1“Historical
Introduction”and“AtCourt”(p.21‐81)
Feb.12 ‐AnnemarieSchimmel,EmpireoftheGreatMughals:ch.8“LanguagesandLiterature”(p.239‐262)‐AmirKhusro,Ghalib,etc.(readingsTBA)
Filmscreening:MughaleAzam(K.Asif,1960)WeekSixFeb.17 filmdiscussion
Feb.19 Re‐imaginingAkbar(watchinclass:scenesfromJodhaaAkbar,2008) PARTITIONWeekSevenFeb.24 ‐UrvashiButalia,excerptfromTheOtherSideofSilence(Duke
UniversityPress,2000) ‐Sa’adatHasanManto,“TobaTekSingh” ‐BapsiSidhwa,CrackingIndia(ch.1‐6)
Feb.26 ‐CrackingIndia(ch.7‐19)WeekEightMarch3 ‐finishCrackingIndia
FilmScreening:Earth(DeepaMehta,1998)
March5 filmdiscussionCASTEWeekNineMarch10 ‐ArundhatiRoy,TheGodofSmallThings(ch.1‐4)
March12 ‐TheGodofSmallThings(c.5‐11)WeekTenMarch17 ‐FinishTheGodofSmallThings
March19 ‐KakarandKakar:“TheInnerExperienceofCaste”(p.25‐40)‐Bama,HarumScarumSaar(entire)
SPRINGBREAK!
POLITICSANDPERFORMANCEOFGENDERWeekElevenMarch31 ‐KakarandKakar:“IndianWomen:TraditionalandModern”
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(p.41‐70) ‐GitaHariharan,“TheRemainsoftheFeast”
FilmScreening:MonsoonWedding
April2 filmdiscussionWeekTwelveApril7 ‐KakarandKakar:“Sexuality”(p.71‐106) ‐TheKamaSutraofVatsyayana(trans.WendyDonigerwithSudhir
Kakar):“IntroductionTheText”(p.xi‐xxxix)andotherexcerptsTBA
April9 ‐CarlaPetievich,WhenMenSpeakasWomen:VocalMasqueradeinIndoMuslimPoetry:“Introduction”(p.1‐32)and“RekhtiPoems”(p.271‐354)
WeekThirteenApril14 ‐“‘GoSuckYourHusband’sSugarcane!’HijrasandtheUseofSexual
Insult”byKiraHallinLiviaandHall(eds.)QueerlyPhrased:Language,Gender,andSexuality(NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,1997)p.430‐460.
FilmScreening:Fire
April16 film discussion - Ratna Kapur, “Too Hot to Handle: The Cultural Politics of Fire.” Feminist Review 64 (Spring 2000) p. 53-64.
CONDUNDRUMSOFCLASSINCONTEMPORARYINDIAWeekFourteenApril21 ‐EdwardLuce,“GlobalandMedieval:India’sSchizophrenicEconomy”
inInSpiteoftheGods(p.23‐62)‐AravindAdiga,TheWhiteTiger
April23 ‐TheWhiteTigerWeekFifteenApril28 ‐FinishTheWhiteTiger
FilmScreening:SlumdogMillionaire
April30 filmdiscussion,wrapup ‐KakarandKakar:“TheIndianMind”(p.180‐203)FINALEXAM
