Indian Civilization [Lec 02]

Introduction to Indian History, Winter 2012 (UCLA) -- 2nd lecture, or lecture of 11 January 2012. This lecture commences with a discussion of the problem of 'Orientalism'; problems in the interpretation of Indian history, and the relationship of knowledge to power. We consider the politics of representation and the institutionalization of certain forms of representation, their relation to colonialism, etc. What is the nature of Orientalist discourse: the 'Black Hole of Calcutta' as an illustration. The second half of the lecture discusses briefly the physical geography of India, the different names for India (for example, Aryavarta), and then moves to the opening discussion, continued in the lecture of 13 January 2012, of the Indus Valley Civilization. The lecture stresses the fact that the Indus Valley was an urban civilization with town planning.

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