Sumit Sarkar

Modern India

1. IDEA 1

   History must include ordinary people

   Sarkar argues that the story of modern India is not only about leaders and the Congress. He gives space to peasants, workers, tribal groups and lower castes, whose protests often followed their own aims.

2. IDEA 2

   Colonial rule reshaped Indian society

   Sarkar describes how British rule changed land revenue, trade and social life in the late nineteenth century. These changes created new hardships for farmers and new opportunities for an educated middle class.

3. IDEA 3

   Early nationalists had real limits

   He describes the Moderates of the early Congress, who petitioned the British, and the Extremists, who demanded more. Sarkar argues that both groups drew mainly on educated elites and struggled to reach the masses.

All 8 ideas from Modern India →