Modern South Asian history and Nationalism

 Nationalist aspirations dominate the historical horizons of modern South Asia. Yet nationalists of the subcontinent almost always refused to speak in a singular voice. From the liberal moderates of the early Indian National Congress, to the mass protests led by Gandhi or Jinnah, what the nation is, and what it ought to be, persistently indexed a competing array of visions on the meaning and content of community, identity, and territory in the subcontinent. Reflect on the evolution of nationalism in modern South Asia. You may choose to explore this question by focusing on Indian nationalism (e.g., Bonnerji, Tagore, Gandhi), on Pakistani nationalism and its subsequent disillusionment (e.g., Jinnah, Iqbal, van Schendel), or a comparative study of both. Note: Successful answers will be substantiated with dates (decade ranges are fine); direct quotations summoned from at least two sets of readings and/or paraphrases of lecture points (page citations, etc., are not required, but a bibliography is); and, above all, a succinct if lightly worn “argument,” one that seeks to ground the answer in a specific, not scattered, line of reasoning. This is a prose exercise in clarity and concision. you only need between 800-900 words. I would recommend starting off with the rule of the British east India company and evolving from there.