CLHUMHI0014 - The History and Legacy of British Colonialism in India (1600–1947)

Beginning with the 16th-century arrival of European monks, merchants and adventurers, this course explores British mercantile ambition and its implications for the Indian subcontinent. The establishment of the expansionist and combative East India Company in Bengal led to open confrontation and armed conflict. We examine British methods and motives for military aggression and political expansion, and explore resistance offered by local actors such as the Mughals, Mysore, Marathas and Sikhs. Over the 19th century, the British colonial presence was met with defiance, ranging from open revolt in 1857 to emergent local intellectual, political and religious movements. In the 20th century, led by such figures as Gandhi, Nehru and Jinnah, the region at last achieved independence. Yet the wrenching experience of partition poisoned local relationships even as the nation-states of contemporary South Asia were founded. Join Dr. Lisa Balabanlilar to gain insight into the history and legacy of three centuries of British colonialism in the Indian subcontinent.

Note: This course complements the Association of Rice Alumni trip Sacred Splendors of India, Oct. 30–Nov. 15, 2023, featuring Dr. Balabanlilar. Trip participation is not required to take this course.

Course Details

Lisa Balabanlilar, Ph.D., is the Joseph and Joanna Nazro Mullen Professor in the Humanities, director of the Chao Center for Asian Studies and chair of the Department of Transnational Asian Studies. She teaches courses on the history of India, the Mongol empire and Sufism in Islamic history, among other topics. Dr. Balabanlilar specializes in medieval and early modern Islamic history and kingship. Her most recent book titled “The Emperor Jahangir: Power and Kingship in Mughal India” was published in 2020. Dr. Balabanlilar has won several teaching awards at Rice, including the Phi Beta Kappa Sophie Meyer Farb Award, the George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching and the George R. Brown Award for Teaching Excellence.

On Campus
This course will be delivered on campus / in person. Parking and room information will be sent prior to the class start date.

Early British merchants and ambassadors, the East India Company in Bengal, Fort William and the Black Hole of Calcutta
East India Company expansion of power, the opium trade, ring-fencing Bengal, a century of expansionist wars: Mughals, Mysore, the Marathas and the Sikhs
The long 19th century, the 1857 rebellion and response, emergent local intellectual and religious movements
Resistance and rising national identities; Nehru, Gandhi and Jinnah; partition and the independent nations of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

Department of History, Rice University; Department of Transnational Asian Studies, Rice University; Rice University Office of Alumni Relations Traveling Owls

This course complements the Association of Rice Alumni trip Sacred Splendors of India, Oct. 30–Nov. 15, 2023, featuring Dr. Balabanlilar. Trip participation is not required to take this course.