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History at Krea is not merely the history of one dynasty succeeding another. Instead, we engage with the vast canvas of human existence in all its myriad details. Our History undergraduate programme explores the rich fields of social, political, cultural, environmental, military and scientific history. In looking at these themes, it draws on other disciplines in the humanities and social sciences like sociology, anthropology, philosophy, literature, politics and economics to ask the big questions: how does historical change happen? What is the role of human agency in bringing about change? How do human activities impact the prospects for life on earth? What are the ethical dimensions of these actions? In its preoccupation with the texture of time and a concern with lived environments and spaces, History shares philosophical concerns with the physical and natural sciences.
The study of History at Krea also deals with changing conceptions and constructions of the past. Beginning from inquiring into the origins of the universe, human beings have produced innumerable cosmologies and originary myths for thousands of years. Such diverse accounts have not only provided numerous ways of accessing and explaining the past, but have also imbued popular consciousness and public discourse with perceptions of the history of places, practices and beliefs. Such historical narratives are complex and politically contested terrains, requiring careful analysis. Amidst such accounts, we situate History as an academic discipline of studying the past, with its own epistemology (theory of knowledge) and methodology.
The History curriculum at Krea will include required and elective courses. Required courses will focus on themes from South Asian and World history as well as the nature of historical reasoning and the practice of historian’s craft. Students will be required to take at least one course outside their time period and region of specialisation. Elective courses will explore themes in social, economic, political, religious and military history as well as emerging fields such as climate, urban, digital and public history. Each theme will be introduced through historiographical debates, thus critically evaluating how questions have been asked thus far and what themes as well as questions have been ignored. Students will also be introduced to the historical archive and the analysis of historical sources, including written, aural and visual. On the basis of an understanding of scholarship and use of primary sources, a History student will apply their knowledge as well as research and writing skills to produce an independently-researched thesis in their final year. This research project will pertain to a subject selected by the student with a focused theme and time-period and will be supervised by a faculty member.
A Krea History student will have understood the nature of historical truth; learnt the basics of how historical knowledge is produced and revised; gained a broad empirical understanding of South Asian and World History; realised the role played by History in contemporary society and in fashioning human futures. The capacity for critical thinking fostered by studying History at the undergraduate level can be applied in a large range of professional settings, some of which are academic research, work in heritage and museum studies, journalism, civil services, international relations, economic and political think-tanks, policy-related research and advocacy organisations.
Minor:
To earn a minor in History, a student is required to complete:
Concentration:
In order to qualify for a concentration in history, a student is required to complete any three history courses and earn 12 credits.
Required Courses | Sample Electives |
I. Methodology (Any one of the following)
1. The Historian’s Craft: Primary Sources and their Interpretations 2. Historical Reasoning: Thinking through Chronology, Causality, Continuity and Change over Time and Space. 3. The New Science II. World History (Any one of the following) 4. Ancient World 5. How We Became Modern: World History from 1500 to the Present 6. Winds of Change: Anticolonial movements in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries 7. Anthropocene* (to be cross listed with Economics) 8. Urban Emergence* (to be cross listed with Environmental Studies)
III Indian History (Any one of the following) 9. The Rise of Civilizations in India. 10. Sources of the Self: India in the Second Millennium A.D. 11. From Mughaliyah Saltanat to Sovereign Republic: India in Transition 12. India and the World
| 1. Is there an Indian way of Thinking? 2. Ramayana 3. Religiosity, Spirituality and Ethics in Indian Religions 4. Power and Powerlessness: Caste, Class and Gender in Indian History (To be cross listed with Social Studies and Politics) 5. Contemporary India – A History of India After Independence (To be cross listed with Politics) 6. Religious and Political Identities in Modern India (cross-listed with Politics) 7. Maritime History 8. The Market in History: Evolution of Indian Business (To be cross listed with Economics and Business Studies Minor) 9. Movements and Migrations* Bullock Carts, Cars, Trains and Planes 10. History of War – Specific case study: The Raj at War (Upper Division Seminar) 11. From Kalinga to Kargil: War and Ethics in South Asia 12. Revolutions (To be cross listed with Politics) 13. History of Science, Technology and Medicine 14. The Rise of Modern Science 15. The History of Darwinian Evolution 16. Digital History and Public History 17. Environmental History (Cross listed with Environmental Studies) 18. International Security (To be cross listed with Politics) 19. A Secret History of the 20th century 20. Making History: Video Games, Pedagogy and Historiography 21. The Age of the Aeroplane (Upper Division Seminar) 22. Science, History and Theatre (Upper Division Seminar) 23. History of Capitalism* (to be cross listed with Economics) 24. Urban History, Society and Environments* (to be cross listed with Environmental Studies) |
DPhil, Oxford University PhD, Harvard University PhD, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) PhD, University of Chicago PhD IIM Calcutta Humanities & Social Sciences, PhD, University of Pennsylvania
Aashique Ahmed Iqbal
Assistant Professor of History
Aashique Ahmed Iqbal
Assistant Professor of History
John Mathew
Associate Professor of History of Science
John Mathew
Associate Professor of History of Science
PhD, Old Dominion University
Naina Manjrekar
Assistant Professor of History
Naina Manjrekar
Assistant Professor of History
Prithvi Datta Chandra Shobhi
Divisional Chair, Humanities & Social studies
Associate Professor of History
Prithvi Datta Chandra Shobhi
Divisional Chair, Humanities & Social studies
Associate Professor of History
Ramachandra Guha
Distinguished University Professor
Ramachandra Guha
Distinguished University Professor
Vivek Bhandari
Visiting Professor of History,
Vivek Bhandari
Visiting Professor of History,
A scholar learning history at Krea will understand the nature of historical truth; learn the basics of how historical knowledge is produced and revised; gain a broad, empirical understanding of South Asian and world history; realise the role played by history in contemporary society and fashioning human futures; and acquire the critical thinking skills necessary for a future in academia as well as a variety of professional contexts such as journalism, civil services, museum studies, and careers in the digital world.
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