The Groan-I: Loss of Scholarship and High Drama in 'South Asian' Studies

The Groan-I: Loss of Scholarship and High Drama in 'South Asian' Studies

by Yvette C. Rosser

Why are mayhem, genocide, pogroms, and cultural assault in a certain area and era a fascinating academic research topic, whereas cultural assaults, genocide, and mayhem in another locale and time, are politically incorrect historical subject matters shunned by scholars?

This remarkable resilience of cultural tenacity, a dramatic example of civilizational continuity is not part of the world's most well known and fascinating lines of research. The lost centuries of Indian history are due to the contemporary road blocks constructed to prevent a dispassionate discussion of the traumas brought to India by the early Islamic invasions. If scholars are repeatedly chided and labeled pejoratively for investigating the details of these invasions, such discouragement naturally precludes serious study of the controversial topic and ultimately denies students access to the information. In this environment, the lack of scholarly research prohibits a deeper understanding of the impact and correlative indigenous responses of the peoples inhabiting the subcontinent during this dramatic and draconian historical period. This unwritten prohibition of historical negationism prevents inquiries not only into valuable areas of research that could enhance our understanding of the history of the world, but also dismisses an opportunity to better understand human nature.