New Delhi: Professor Sumit Sarkar, one of India’s influential historians of modern India and a leading Marxist historian, died on Thursday. He was 87.For generations of students, Sarkar’s name was closely associated with the study of modern Indian history. Through a lifetime of scholarship, he worked to shift the focus of historical inquiry towards socio-economic processes, popular struggles and the agency of working people.A professor of history at the University of Delhi, Sarkar was best known for works, including The Swadeshi Movement in Bengal, 1903-1908 and Modern India, 1885-1947. His study of the Swadeshi movement and his writings on modern India became important works in the study of Indian history. His other works included Writing Social History, Beyond Nationalist Frames, A Critique of Colonial India, Khaki Shorts and Saffron Flags and Essays of a Lifetime: Reformers, Nationalists, Subalterns.Delhi University Teachers’ Association, mourning his death, described his passing as “a profound loss for historical scholarship and the wider democratic movement”. It said Sarkar leaves behind “an extraordinary scientific legacy rooted in theoretical rigour and unwavering political convictions”.According to DTF, Sarkar’s work helped reorient history “away from imperialist narratives towards socio-economic processes, popular struggles and the agency of the working people”. It also said he transformed historical scholarship into “a vital defence against communalism and the attendant attacks on scientific temper” and “fearlessly exposed the political reinvention of history with rigorous scientific evidence and genuine historical inquiry”.His influence extended beyond students of history. Rudrashish Chakraborty of Kirori Mal College recalled: “One of the last of the Titans who inspired generations of scholars and teachers, Prof Sumit Sarkar mesmerised students who didn’t belong to the discipline of history at all! Students like us attended his classes and talks just to know the nuances of history and to develop critical thinking towards any discipline.”Chakraborty said Modern India was a must-read for students seeking to develop foundational concepts of history.
