HIST 4855 - Environmental History of India

Meets with HIST 6855. This course examines India and South Asia's Environmental history from the ancient Harappan civilization (ca. 2500BC) to the present. The region's natural diversity spans from Himalayan snowcaps to tropical forests, from arid deserts to lush jungles. Intersecting this natural world, South Asia has been home to a wide variety of political bodies, from great indigenous empires (like that of the Maurayas, Guptas and Vijayanagar) to European colonial powers led by Portuguese, Dutch French and British forces.