Much of the ancient history of India is no history at all. It has been made mythology to amuse women and children. To understand Ambedkar as a historian, a visit to the intellectual climate of late colonial India is necessary. This period of Indian history was dominated by the rise of nationalisms that either militated against colonialism or each other. Since these ideologies were socially aggregative in character and objective, they usually undermined the divisiveness and oppression caused in Indian society by caste. The writing of history followed this political trend. Further, it was unusual for Indian historians to debate questions of historical methods in the 1940s; the official archive and colonial historical methods reigned supreme over their imagination and the difference between the Imperialist and Nationalist historians was one of objectives and not methods. Most Indian historians were content with the canons of historiography taught to them by their British professors who, in turn, were mostly Whig in orientation. Ambedkar’s historical method remains resilient and alluring in our times because his reflections highlighted the important political difference between imagination and fantasy, conjecture and possibility and a credible story and academic pedantry. This book is a valuable resource for researchers interested in South Asian History.
Introduction — Ambedkar, Muslims And Partition — Dr. Ambedkar’s Thoughts on Pakistan — Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India — Bibliography — Index —
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