Module manager: Professor William Gould
Email: W.R.Gould@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is not approved as a discovery module
Indian independence brought about the end of one of world history's most ambitious colonial projects and the beginning of the world's largest democracy. Behind the speaker's podium and beyond the assemblies, the rhetoric and power of the newly independent states that were carved out of colonial India, there was considerable confusion about what freedom from colonial rule would really mean. And there was equally great uncertainty about the chances that unitary states could be maintained against, on the one hand, a holocaust of violence and, on the other, a stand-off between two national rivals based in diametrically opposing political ideologies. Rooted in new research, this module examines how subjects of British India experienced the transition from colonial power to independence and democracy, via one of the most bloody and controversial partitions of modern times. In examining the world's largest and most participatory democratic experiment using primary sources, you will explore what happens when a state and a society moves from an authoritarian colonial system to universal suffrage. With the outbreak of war in 1939, Britain sought to exploit Indian resources to the full and this had a dramatic effect on both the negotiations leading up to India's independence, and on the relationship between Indian society and the emerging post-colonial state. This was also an era of extreme violence: The module explores the controversial theme of ethnic and communal conflict in India, by examining how and why partition in 1947 was accompanied by so much violence, and its longer-term implications. - How did the final years of colonialism in India affect the nature of Indian and Pakistani independence? - What were the actual experiences of freedom for ordinary Indian and Pakistani subject-citizens? - How and why were India’s first democratic elections in 1952 so successful and why did Pakistan move more towards an authoritarian system? Based in new comparisons between India and Pakistan, this module will also explore the long-term significance of independence and partition in 1947 for the post-colonial societies of South Asia. Finally, it will equip you with historical knowledge and theoretical expertise, relevant to the problems of development and grassroots democracy in South Asia. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
The module’s aims are to explore the political and social history of India during the period of the Second World War, independence and partition, and (alongside Pakistan) in the immediate post-colonial period through classroom discussion, detailed primary source exploration and analysis of secondary literature, While applying ethical approaches to the sources it also aims to explore the latest research on the violence of India’s partition and its aftermath. Employing a range of theoretical approaches, the module sets out to analyse the nature of the state, democracy, corruption and ethnic mobilisation to South Asia in the period of post-colonial transition. It also introduces students to concepts of citizenship in South Asia and the module explores ways in which they can be applied to both state discourses and the everyday political experiences of new post-colonial citizens. The module will allow students to analyse, through unique source scrutiny, the challenges to the integrity of the state, and regionalism in India and Pakistan since 1947. It will ask the question of how and why democratic conventions and practices were of differential success in the new post-colonial states, and why ethnic conflict continued to punctuate the lives of Indian and Pakistani citizens. Finally, by grounding students in theoretical and historical approaches to gender and caste it aims to explore how caste and gender politics transform over the middle part of the 20th Century in a context of decolonisation.
On successful completion of the module you will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Critically evaluate the interaction between colonial power and Indian resistance in the era of decolonisation.
2. Critique existing historical approaches to the phase of decolonisation in India and engage with new research on the history of the post-colonial state and democracy in India and Pakistan.
3. Critically analyse the historiography surrounding India’s independence and partition, and its significance for Indian political culture.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module you will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Convey complex ideas to a wider audience;
5. Synthesise and evaluate critically information from a range of sources.
6. Take a logical approach to solving problems.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workshop | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Supervision | 2 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Seminar | 20 | 2 | 40 |
| Private study hours | 355.6 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 44.4 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 400 | ||
Students will receive formative feedback on practice gobbets in semester 1, and will also receive formative feedback for their assessed essay following submission.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 50 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
| Exam type | Exam duration | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Online Time-Limited assessment | 48.0 Hrs 0 Mins | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Exams) | 50 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 20/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team