Northern Illinois University
Department of History
History 452/552
The British Empire
Sean Farrell
Paper 3 Assignment
Please answer the following question in essay form. Your essay should be 5 to 7 pages; double-spaced, typed, and with references. Please remember to answer the questions asked, using specific examples to support your argument. Your essay is due Monday, April 23rd.
In Specters of Mother India, Mrinalini Sinha examines the Mayo Controversy and its aftermaths in twentieth-century India. Why does she think the controversy (and the resultant Sarda Act of 1929) is so significant for Indian women’s politics? According to Sinha, what forces transform these possibilities into the Government of India Act of 1935? What does this say about the Indian nationalism that emerges in the 1930s (and its relationship with British colonialism)? Finally, Sinha closes her book with a brief discussion of the difference between history and memory and the value of historical perspective in challenging dominant narratives. What does she say and how is it related to her argument in this book?
