Whenever one starts reading history for upsc, s/he is often told by seniors that reading 'old' history books is sine qua non. And history mostly never changes, at least at the school level. However the very fact that NCERT has produced new series of books means something has changed. What is that something? And does that mean we need to read new books and can skip the old ones? Or do we need to read old as well as new? There are 4 old books and 6 new books. Its a daunting task for sure.
New books were shaped in light of National Curriculum Framework 2005. What has changed is not much of history at the school level but the pedagogy of imparting knowledge. What the NCERT wants young people to know now is not mere the chronology of dynasties anymore. They want us to know the undercurrents which shaped history. History is one of the easier social science subjects to imbibe values and the values to be imbibed change with time. And thus do the history books. The whole structure of chapters therefore is modified in the new texts to a noticeable extent.
To simply understand the change in views - you can see the title 'Our Pasts.' Its not 'Our Past'. It brings in post-modernist, de-constructivist, sub-altern perspective. Not everyone's ancestors experienced the same history. We don't share the same past but have multiple pasts.
Many often find history to be factual, unexciting and boring. NCERT has attempted to make the new books interesting by including many stories as well as analyses. It has tried to avoid unnecessary facts and has inserted many factoids, tidbits, boxes, charts, pictures. The whole experience of knowledge consumption is undergoing considerable change which is being captured here.
Conclusion - Not that the new books replace the old ones. Old books are still non-optional. However, the new ones add value and are helpful. If you get time, try to go through them.
Ancient -
Our Pasts 1
Themes in Indian History 1
Medieval -
Our Pasts 2
Themes in Indian History 2
Modern -
Our Pasts 3
Themes in Indian History 3
New books were shaped in light of National Curriculum Framework 2005. What has changed is not much of history at the school level but the pedagogy of imparting knowledge. What the NCERT wants young people to know now is not mere the chronology of dynasties anymore. They want us to know the undercurrents which shaped history. History is one of the easier social science subjects to imbibe values and the values to be imbibed change with time. And thus do the history books. The whole structure of chapters therefore is modified in the new texts to a noticeable extent.
To simply understand the change in views - you can see the title 'Our Pasts.' Its not 'Our Past'. It brings in post-modernist, de-constructivist, sub-altern perspective. Not everyone's ancestors experienced the same history. We don't share the same past but have multiple pasts.
Many often find history to be factual, unexciting and boring. NCERT has attempted to make the new books interesting by including many stories as well as analyses. It has tried to avoid unnecessary facts and has inserted many factoids, tidbits, boxes, charts, pictures. The whole experience of knowledge consumption is undergoing considerable change which is being captured here.
Conclusion - Not that the new books replace the old ones. Old books are still non-optional. However, the new ones add value and are helpful. If you get time, try to go through them.
Ancient -
Our Pasts 1
Themes in Indian History 1
Medieval -
Our Pasts 2
Themes in Indian History 2
Modern -
Our Pasts 3
Themes in Indian History 3
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