TEACHING OLD HISTORY IN NEW INDIA: PROBLEMS AND POSSIBILITIES

Abstract

This paper critiques conventional pedagogical approaches to teaching history in India, which prioritize rote memorization and conformity over creativity, while perpetuating Orientalist and Eurocentric assumptions. The shortcomings of the recent UGC document on the Learning Outcome-based Curriculum Framework (LOCF), 2021 framework for education in history and previous forms of history education are examined in light of their changing nationalistic sensibilities, which have sought to erase alternative experiences of the past. To address these issues, this study proposes a new creative and decolonial approach that goes beyond colonial norms and teaches students to read like historians, thereby upending traditional classroom dynamics. The goal of this pedagogical shift is to foster a deeper understanding of historical events and a more nuanced appreciation of the subcontinent’s rich, connected cultural heritage. The paper concludes by emphasizing the practical implications of this approach and considering the challenges that educators may experience in implementing it.