One of the true joys in teaching overview classes is that I get to hit some of the highlights of South Asian history every year. Next week is #Mahabharata week.
How do historians teach this epic? Well, it depends on our subject. Short #pedagogy thread --
How do historians teach this epic? Well, it depends on our subject. Short #pedagogy thread --
Starting point -- I can't teach the entire epic. I wish I could. I think about it every year before I come to my senses, again.
So, I teach select portions. Always a bit of the Gita, and then I tend to change-up the other part. This year, I'm doing Draupadi's disrobing.
So, I teach select portions. Always a bit of the Gita, and then I tend to change-up the other part. This year, I'm doing Draupadi's disrobing.
The Mahabharata is not a straightforward historical text. It is mythology. But it tells us about things we want to know in the Indian past. Here's where I divide up by class.
For History of South Asia, I focus on the Mahabharata's insights regarding social changes and political developments roughly 2,000 years ago (the rough time period of its original composition or at least being written down).
For History of Hinduism, I focus on what the Mahabharata can tell us about religious ideas and changes within Hindu traditions.
To be sure, the Mahabharata has offered readers and listeners over the last 2,000 years far more insights than what I've mentioned here. It's multiplicity and interpretative openness is part of its enduring appeal.
I strive to communicate that too. #Mahabharata
I strive to communicate that too. #Mahabharata
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