Lecture 6. Indian Subcontinent 1

preview slides
created by:

Manu P. Sobti


from the module:

Peripheries of Contact: Beyond Geographies and Historical Flatland

The first lecture on the Indian Subcontinent discusses it as a realm of isolated centers and ‘thick’ peripheries, controlled by its specific geographies. It illustrates how much of Indian medieval history remains replete with the contesting control of these centers and the geographical features that ‘contain’ these centers. On these lines, no longer does a linguistic and/or political assessment suffice to explain the idea of the subcontinent as a cultural region. Could the northwestern mountainous massif of the Himalayan range, combined with the densely-forested Gangetic and Central Indian riverine plains, be better definitions to the perceived limits of this c cultural region? This initially idiosyncratic ‘geographical’ reconstruction is substantiated by the realms of control and cultural exchange exercised by the Delhi Sultanate ruling elite, who controlled sites located in the north western and northern part of the Indian subcontinent, in addition to several more positioned deep in the interior. What is perhaps most critical to the cultural resilience of the Indian subcontinent is the continuing interaction between the migrant and the indigenous, its transmission facilitated by the porous frontiers located to the northwest. This porous frontier connects to the our defined ‘peripheral or matrix’ zone - in itself, constantly changing owing to conditions around it. Units of Lecture 6- 1. Moment 1 2. Moment 2 3. Moment 3 4. Moment 4

supporting documents:

Handout

Quiz

Lecture Notes