Main Goal: To foster national unity and promote nationalist sentiment against colonial rule, overcoming internal divisions based on religion, caste, language, or class.
Key Focus: The national movement as a unified
effort by the Indian people against colonial exploitation.
Development:
● Emerged as a direct response to and
in opposition to the colonial approach.
● Before 1947, nationalist
historiography primarily focused on ancient and medieval Indian history.
● In the late 19th century,
nationalists like Dadabhai Naoroji, M.G. Ranade, G.V. Joshi, R.C. Dutt, K.T.
Telang, G.K. Gokhale, and D.E. Wacha developed detailed critiques of the
negative economic impacts of British rule.
● Accounts of the national movement
itself were initially written by nationalist leaders (not professional
historians) like R.G. Pradhan, A.C. Mazumdar, J.L. Nehru, and Pattabhi
Sitaramayya.
● After 1947, professional historians
like R.C. Majumdar and Tara Chand emerged as prominent nationalist historians
of modern India.
Key Characteristics:
● Emphasizes the unity of the Indian
people in the struggle for independence.
● Highlights the exploitative nature
of colonial rule and its negative consequences for India.
● Celebrates Indian achievements and
contributions to world civilization.
● Counters the colonial portrayal of
India as a backward and divided society.
In Short: Nationalist historiography aimed
to inspire national pride and unity by focusing on the Indian people's struggle
against colonial rule, emphasizing the negative impacts of colonialism and
celebrating Indian achievements. It developed gradually, with early critiques
focusing on economic exploitation and later works focusing on the national
movement itself.