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14 August 2026

Death of historian Sumit Sarkar

While Sumit Sarkar is a prominent historian whose works are standard reading for Modern Indian History, his death is a biographical event that serves as context for historiographical perspectives rather than a direct exam topic.

1 min read Day 1 of 2 1 questions 1 prelims

Notes

  • Sumit Sarkar (1936-2024) was an eminent Indian historian known for his contributions to modern Indian history.
  • Academic background: BA (Honours) from Presidency College, Kolkata; Master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Calcutta.
  • Professional career: Taught at the University of Delhi, Fellow of Wolfson College (Oxford), and visiting professor at various universities in the U.S. and Europe.
  • Key academic works: 'Swadeshi Movement in Bengal, 1903-1908' (1973), 'Modern India' (1989), and 'Writing Social History' (1998).
  • Collaborative works: Co-edited 'Women and Social Reform in Modern India' (2007) and 'Caste in Modern India' (2013) with Tanika Sarkar.
  • Historiographical contribution: Recognized as a Marxist historian who expanded the scope of historical inquiry to include culture and emotions alongside economic factors.

Part of a longer story

This is day 1 of 2 in Legacy and contributions of historian Sumit Sarkar, which has been running since 14 August 2026. Reading it whole is usually worth more than reading today alone — the exam asks how something developed.

Questions

  1. The evolution of modern Indian historiography has seen a shift from purely economic analysis to a more nuanced exploration of culture, gender, and social structures. Discuss the significance of this interdisciplinary approach in understanding 19th and 20th-century Indian history. 150 words
    Attempt this — 150 words in 8 min
    0 / 150 words 8:00

Prelims

  1. Which of the following works is authored by the historian Sumit Sarkar?

Syllabus

Topics

Sources

250words.in · https://250words.in/daily/2026-08-14/death-of-historian-sumit-sarkar