HIST 9A Lecture 2: UCLA HIST 9A: History of India, Weeks 1 and 2
Document Summary
Taj mahal- built in the 17th century, is a tomb built during the temur dynasty. South asia: subtropical weather, humid on the coasts, temperate zone in the north, some limited parts of india have snow fall (high altitude) Some big issues: presentism: the past viewed from the present, do not impose ideas of the present on the past, teleology: historical process understood as having a direction towards the present (eg: nation-state) Idea that all of history has a simple direction: anachronism: using the categories of the present in the past. Returning monsoon: onset of rain in india starts from the western side and goes up but hits the. Himalayan mountain ranges and turns back around: no rains and too much rain are the two extremes. Three durations for historians when reflecting on historical activities: long: slow-moving changes linked to geography and climate, medium: quicker changes linked to culture, short: volatile political shifts.
