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142040 UE Nehru's Vision and Leadership in Post-British India (2025S)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 14 - Orientalistik, Afrikanistik, Indologie und Tibetologie
Continuous assessment of course work
Fr 07.03. 10:00-13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

Friday 07.03 10:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37
Friday 21.03 10:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37
Friday 04.04 10:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37
Friday 02.05 10:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37
Friday 16.05 10:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37
Friday 30.05 10:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37
Friday 13. 06 10:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37
Friday 27. 06 10:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37

  • Friday 21.03. 10:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37
  • Friday 04.04. 10:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37
  • Friday 02.05. 10:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37
  • Friday 16.05. 10:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37
  • Friday 30.05. 10:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37
  • Friday 13.06. 10:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37
  • Friday 27.06. 10:00 - 13:00 Seminarraum 6 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-37

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Lecture topics:

1. Nehru’s Personality
Nehru comes from an aristocrat family and was educated in England but interestingly had empathy for the masses of India living in poverty. His secular upbringing and his wide readings of philosophies from Buddhism to Bertrand Russell, many studies suggest, shaped his beliefs in secularism and scientific progress as opposed to the orthodoxy of India. Soviet Union had important influence on Nehru’s socialist inclination, however, with a preference for democratic freedom. Nehru was seen as a radical and emotional member of the Indian National Congress for his insistence on full independence for India from British when even Gandhi was not prepared for that. He was a protégé of Mahatma Gandhi but their relationship was not without disagreements. A thinker and a prolific writer himself, Nehru’s books such as Glimpses of World History and the The Discovery of India are among his great contributions. We will study Nehru in the following phases:
a. Nehru’s formative years
b. Nehru the freedom fighter in the Indian National Congress
c. Nehru’s relationship with Mahatma Gandhi
d. Nehru in the post-colonial world and influence of socialism

2. Nehru’s policies
Nehru’s contribution both as a freedom fighter and as the statesman to India mainly was to achieve sovereignty, self-reliance, equal rights for all religions and communities and protection of poor, in line with the values that India’s freedom struggle stood for. Nehru envisioned a modern future for old civilization like India. His commitment to democratic principles has left lasting legacy of parliamentary democracy and plural India. Nehru established modern learning institutions in India to try and achieve self-sufficiency, and through his skills of articulation and vision, projected India as a major player in the international system through the nonalignment movement. We will study Nehru’s legacy in the following areas:

a. Nehru’s contribution in democratic-institution building, secularism and federalism
b. Economic Socialism – economic autarchy, state-run heavy industries, modern learning centers
c. Foreign Policy of non-alignment

3. Criticism
Opinions are divided in India in terms of Nehru. Nehru has been idolized by some, and heavily criticized by others. Especially in the recent years, there has been widespread criticism about Nehru’s personality and deeds. In any case, in this section we will examine the criticism about Nehru’s economic policies of socialism, his idealism in international relations especially his policies towards China which did not go well for India, as well as his own dynastic ambition of becoming prime minister for longer period and creating conditions for his daughter Indira Gandhi to inherit power just like Nehru’s father Motilal Nehru did for him. We will examine the weakness of Nehru’s policies and preferences, and what other alternatives Nehru could pursue in the following realms:

a. Planned economy and slow growth
b. Idealism in international relations
c. Failure on China
d. Kashmir issue
e. Nehru and British Viceroy Lord Mountbatten
f. Dynastic politics: Motilal – Jawaharlal – Indira – Rajeev – Rahul, Priyanka

Assessment and permitted materials

Students will be assessed as per their oral (50%) and written (50%) participations. The course requires regular attendance and proactive participation of students in interpreting the readings, and debating and discussing as well as oral presentations. Similarly, regarding the written evaluation, students are required to do homework and submit their final papers.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Positive evaluation will be based on the level of students’ understanding of the course content given that other criteria mentioned-above are fulfilled.

Examination topics

Students are free to chose their choice of topic from the content of the course both for their oral presentations and final written essays.

Reading list

This reading list is subject to change as per the availability, and there will be new additions to both the book list and especially the articles and essays list during the semester.

Bibliography
Books:
Bhagwati, J and Panagariya, 2014, Why Growth Matters: How India’s Growth Acceleration Has Reduced Poverty, PublicAffairs
Burns, J M, 1978, Leadership, New York: Harper Collins
Chandra, B, Mukherjee, M, Mukherjee A, 2013, India After Independence 1947-2000, India: Penguin
Dalvi, J P, 1969, Himalayan Blunder, Bombay: Thacker
Dinkel, J, 2018 The Non-Aligned Movement: Genesis, Organization and Politics (1927 – 1992), Leiden and Boston: Brill
Dutt, R C, 1981, Socialism of Jawaharlal Nehru, New Delhi: Abhinav Publications
Godbole, M, 2014, The God Who Failed: An Assessment of Nehru’s Leadership, New Delhi: Rupa
Guha, R, 2010, Makers of Modern India, Belknap
Guha, R,2008, India after Gandhi, Ecco
Gupta, N B, Raina , J L, Juahari H M, Juahari, B M (eds), 1993, Nehru and Planning in India, New Delhi: Concept Publishing
Jain, P C, 2012, Economic Determinants of India’s Foreign Policy: The Nehru Years (1947-64)
Judith, B, 1999, Nehru: Profiles in Power
Kashyap S, 1990, Jawaharlal Nehru: His Life, Work and Legacy, S Chand & Company
Larry Collins, and Dominique Lapierre, 1982, Mountbatten and Independent India, New Delhi: Vikas
Mathai, M O, 1978, Reminiscence of the Nehru Age, New Delhi: Vikas Publishing
Mathai, M O, 1979, My Days with Nehru, Vikas
Maxwell, N, 1970, India’s China War, Pantheon
Michele, L, 2018, Comrades Against Imperialism: Nehru, India and Interwar Internationalism, Cambridge University Press
Moraes, F, 2008, Jawaharlal Nehru: A Biography, Jaico Publishing
Mukherjee, A, 2025, Nehru: Past, Present and Future, Vintage Books
Nehru, J, 1928, Soviet Russia: Some Random Sketches and Impressions, Allahabad: Ram Mohan Lal
Nehru, J, 1934, Glimpses of World History, Allahabad: Kitabistan
Nehru, J, 1936, Jawaharlal Nehru: An Autobiography
Nehru, J, 1938, Letters from Father to a Daughter, Allahabad: Kitabistan
Nehru, J, 1945, The Discovery of India
Panagariya, A, 2008, India the Emerging Giant, Oxford University Press
Sarvepalli G, 1975, Jawaharlal Nehru, A Biography: Volume One 1889-1947, Delhi: Oxford University Press
Sengupta, H, 2018, The Man Who Saved India: Sardar Patel and His Idea of India, Penguin India
Singh T, Hussein, A, 2021, Nehru: The Debates that Defined India, William Collins
Sherman, T, Nehru’s India: History in Seven Myths, Princeton: Princeton University Press
Tharoor Sashi, 1997, India: From Midnight to Millenium, New York: Arcade
Tharoor Sashi, 1982, Reasons of State, New Delhi: Vikas
Tharoor Sashi, 2011,The Invention of India, New York: Arcade

Articles:

Balakrishnan, P, 2007, “The Recovery of India: Economic Growth in the Nehru Era”, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 42, Nr. 45/46
Bhargava, R, 2020, “Nationalism and the Crisis of Federalism”, The Hindu
Das, S, 2001, “The Nehru Years in Indian Politics”, Edinburgh Paper in South Asian Studies, Nr. 16
< WP16_Suranjan_Das-libre.pdf>
David, A, 2013, “Nehruvian Science and Post-Colonial India”, The Journal of History of Science Society, Vol. 104, Nr. 2, Chicago University Press
Guha, R, 2022, “Nehru Read Ramayana Every Morning For Pure Joy. He Also Turned to Relgion In His Old Age”, The Print
Mantri, R, 2014, “Nehru’s Legacy: The Husk of Democracy”, Swarajya
Satiya, P, 2024, “ Nehru’s Other Indias”, The Wire
Singh, S, 2011, “From Delhi to Bandung: Nehru ‘Indian-ness’ and ‘Pan-Asian-ness’”, South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, Vol. 34, Issue 1, Taylor and Francis
Srivastava, V K, 2022, “Nehru and His Views on Secularism”, Congress Sandesh

Association in the course directory

IMAK 5B UE

Last modified: We 29.01.2025 11:06