CDS 2016 (II)

Modern Historiography

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

Match the following. **List I (Historians)** A. Sumit Sarkar B. Shahid Amin C. Ranajit Guha D. Bipan Chandra **List II (Books)** 1. The Rise and Growth of Economic Nationalism in India 2. A Rule of Property for Bengal 3. The Swadeshi Movement in Bengal, 1903-1908 4. Event, Metaphor, Memory-Chauri Chaura, 1922-1992

Solution & Analysis

Answer: A

Concept The historiography of the Indian national movement has been shaped by specific deep-dive studies into critical events and economic theories of colonialism.

Explanation
Sumit Sarkar: *The Swadeshi Movement in Bengal* (A landmark social history).
Shahid Amin: *Event, Metaphor, Memory* (A famous subaltern study of the Chauri Chaura incident).
Ranajit Guha: *A Rule of Property for Bengal* (Analysis of land tenure under the British).
Bipan Chandra: *The Rise and Growth of Economic Nationalism* (Exploration of the early moderate critique of the British economy).

Logical Breakup
A-3: Sarkar’s work moved history from elite politics to social mobilization.
B-4: Amin used local memory and files to reconstruct how a single event became a nationalist 'metaphor'.
C-2: Guha is the founder of the Subaltern Studies collective.
D-1: Chandra’s book is the definitive work on the 'Drain of Wealth' theory.

Active Recall

Question

Who founded the 'Subaltern Studies' group in Indian history?

Answer

Ranajit Guha, who emphasized looking at history from the 'perspective from below'.

Core Insight

These historians represent a shift from viewing the freedom struggle as a simple event to analyzing it as a complex social and economic phenomenon.