Hegel & Historicality
Which Western philosopher emphasized that history should be based on personal experience?
Hegel
Why does the author argue that oral traditions offer an alternative to written history?
Oral traditions allow for a broader and more inclusive form of historicality outside state narratives.
Unlike written history, oral traditions preserve a diverse range of experiences and perspectives through storytelling and memory.
What act does the text describe as a form of violence rather than a neutral exchange?
Translation
What term refers to the mood of wonder in Indian storytelling?
adbhutarasa
What is “historicality” in the reading?
Historicality is the idea that history should include the stories of everyday life, not just the big events.
In Hegel's philosophy, what concept refers to the unfolding of self-consciousness through history?
Spirit (Geist)
How did the British use history as a tool for colonial control?
The British used history to control India by teaching their own way of writing history, replacing traditional Indian storytelling with Western-style history to make British rule seem more powerful / justified.
How does statist historiography typically represent history?
Through the history of empires, rulers, and their public affairs
What two modes of historical narration does the chapter contrast?
historiography and historicality
In this Chapter, what does "statism" refer to?
Statism means that the state controls and writes most of history, leaving out personal or smaller histories.
What emotion does the reading associate with the exclusion of historicality from World-history?
pathos
What institution used history as a tool to justify colonial rule in India?
East India Company
Why does the author argue that history and the state are linked in Western historiography?
The author argues that history and the state are connected because governments use history to record and explain their actions, making their rule seem natural/necessary.
What kind of prose represents everyday experiences and storytelling traditions?
prose of the world
Which ancient Indian epic is considered an example of itihasa?
Mahabharata
What elements did Hegel say must be connected for a state to understand itself?
History & Memory
What is itihasa, and how does it differ from Western history?
Itihasa are traditional Indian historical narratives based on storytelling and repetition. Meanwhile, Western history emphasizes firsthand experience and empirical evidence.
What does the chapter argue was lost when historical writing became centered on the state?
The diversity of voices and perspectives from everyday life
Who is known for writing the first history of India in a Western style?
Ramram Basu, he was commissioned by William Carey to write history in a Western style.
What is "Mnemosyne" in the context of historiography in this chapter?
Mnemosyne is the goddess of memory
Hegel’s philosophy heavily influenced what political ideology?
Marxism
What are Aristotle's four stages of the learning process?
Perception, recollection, memory, and comprehension
Why does Rabindranath Tagore criticize mainstream historiography in India?
Tagore criticizes how history has become disconnected from the creativity and richness of human experience.
What is the main difference between prose and poetry in historical writing?
Prose is more focused on narrative and fact-based storytelling.
Poetry can express more subjective, emotional, or philosophical aspects of human experience.
What is the "alazon complex" in the reading?
The "alazon complex" is when someone pretends to be more important than they really are, often because they feel conflicted about their true place in the world.