What was it like to live in a colonized country? How and why did anti-colonial resistance develop? How did different colonized places relate to each other? In this module, we look at these questions using two important cases from the British Empire: India and Ireland.
Focusing, roughly, on the century between the Irish Famine (1845-51) and Indian Independence (1947), we will consider themes such as religion, migration, gender, and nationalism, using recent historical scholarship as well as film, literature, imagery, and other primary source material.
Students will learn the tools of comparative and transnational history. We'll consider the similarities and differences between Irish and Indian history. We will also trace the complicated connections between the two sites, from Bengali revolutionaries inspired by Irish uprisings, to Irish soldiers who made their careers in South Asia. No background knowledge about either nation is required.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Analyse and explain key events and historical processes relevant to the subject under scrutiny.
Analyse and explain reasons for and implications of these events and processes.
Identify the main scholarly views on the subject under investigation.
Work with an appropriate degree of learner independence to explain and analyse the material under scrutiny.
Communicate explanation and analysis of the subject clearly and effectively in writing.