Attempt all the questions in about 500 words each. The assignment is divided into two Sections ‘A’ and ‘B’
Section A
1. Comment briefly on sources of writing of ancient Indian history. What role does interpretation play in these writings?
2. Discuss Vedic literature as a source for reconstruction of society in the Vedic period.
3. ‘While in chiefdom societies, kinship determined social and economic relations, in state societies on the other hand, extra-kin relations have to be worked out.’ Comment in the light of the Harappan social structures.
4. Is the concept of ‘Feudalism’ adequate to characterize the ‘early medieval’ society in India? Explain.
5. What role do temples play in shaping the early medieval society?
Section B
6. Describe B.D. Chattopadhyay’s analysis of the origins and formation of the Rajputs.
7. Comment on views of various historians on nature of village communities in India.
8. Do you agree with Nicholas Dirks that caste was an invention of the colonial state? Discuss.
9. Does the middle classes in modern sense come into existence only in the colonial period? Discuss.
10. Were women only objects of social reform at the time Indian Renaissance and national movement? Discuss.