Approaches to nationalism in India all the approaches

The modern history of India, for the convenience
of understanding, can be broadly read under four approaches—
the Colonial (or the Imperialist), Nationalist, Marxist, and
Subaltern—each with its own distinct characteristics. However, there are other approaches—
Communalist, Cambridge, Liberal and Neo-liberal, and
Feminist.

Colonial Approach

dominant in 19th century

The term ‘colonial approach’
has been used in two senses. One relates to the history of
the colonial countries, while the other refers to the works
which were influenced by the colonial ideology .

colonial approach justified the british rulw in india and criticises the indegenous culture of india.

colonial approach supporters 
James
Mill, Mountstuart Elphinstone, Vincent Smith and many
others

Nationalist Approach

They tend to promote the nationalistic feeling among the people and unified the people on the basis of caste, religion or language.
This approach
looks at the national movement as a movement of the Indian
people, which grew out of the growing awareness among all
people of the exploitative nature of colonial rule.
it came into exist after 1947.

major supporters
Dadabhai Naoroji, M.G.
Ranade, G.V. Joshi, R.C. Dutt, K.T. Telang, G.K. Gokhale,
and D.E. Wacha.

Marxist Approach

books—Rajni Palme Dutt’s India Today and
A.R. Desai’s Social Background of Indian Nationalism

Subaltern Approach

This school of thought began in the early 1980s under the
editorship of Ranajit Guha

they argued that the basic comtradiction was between indian elite and british elit not between indian people and british.

they supported that the indian history is elite biased.

Communalist Approach

Hindus and Muslims as permanent hostile
groups whose interests were mutually different and
antagonistic to each other.

As a corollary of this view, it was
then argued that the 19th- and 20th-century Muslims had the
‘happy’ and ‘proud’ everpresent memory of having been the
ruling class, while Hindus had the ‘sad’ and ‘humiliating’
memory of having been the subject race. This, ultimately, developed mutual hatred among these groups often resulting
in communal riots and, in the end led to the partition of India.

Cambridge School

contradiction between indian themselves

Indian nationalism was not the product of a struggle
of the Indian people against colonial exploitation, but what
arose from conflict among the Indians for getting the benefits
given to them by the British rulers.

Liberal and Neo-Liberal

economic exploitation is not good for the britishers.
britishers invested in colonial regions and not invested in britain and this affects the development of britain. e.g., railway in india

Feminist Approach

1970s

BOOKS —The High Caste
Hindu Woman (1887) by Pandita Ramabai, and Mother India
(1927) by Katherine Mayo