Tipu Sultan, the Power of the Past and the Possibility of a ‘Historical Temper’

Abstract

Academic histories in contemporary India compete with a host of other ‘regimes of historicity’ as the stakes in writing/rewriting the past have increased enormously. Most disputes over the interpretation of history are moreover increasingly taking place in courtrooms rather than classrooms, on streets and in public spaces rather than in the safer environs of the research carrel or seminar room. More important, many contending histories do not necessarily respect the evidentiary protocols of professional history writing. However, the field of alternative historical practice is not necessarily dominated by appropriations by the Hindu Right. Rather, if one takes a specific region such as Karnataka, as this article does, what emerges is a set of regional concerns and perspectives on the power of the past which may help in developing a historical method that is more appropriate to our times. Taking Tipu Sultan’s contentious legacy as the specific example, the article attempts to outline the possibility of a ‘historical temper’ in contemporary India.