Pakistan was born in 1947 out of the partition of India, and split again in 1971 following the liberation of Bangladesh. Histories of conflict and loss have left their mark on Pakistani politics and culture. But so too have they been repressed in a nationalist narrative that celebrates Pakistan as a ‘new Medina’, a homeland for South Asia’s Muslims. This Special Subject approaches ‘history’ as a terrain of struggle in Pakistan. It traces how different ‘pasts’ has been mobilised, by the powerful but also by marginalised communities, exploring why these contests matter for Pakistan’s present and its possible futures. This module MUST be taken in conjunction with HST6700 History Research Dissertation.
