Consider the following statements: Statement-I: Nationalism in India

Consider the following statements:

  • Statement-I: Nationalism in India, which was assigned a privileged position by its western educated political leadership, was a ‘different’, but a ‘derivative discourse’ from the west
  • Statement-II: Indian nationalism as a response to western imperialism was ‘like all such responses, shaped by what it was responding to’

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements and the code?

Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I
Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is NOT the correct explanation of Statement I
Statement I is true but Statement II is false
Statement I is false but Statement II is true
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2017
Statement I is true; scholars like Partha Chatterjee have argued that Indian nationalism, largely articulated by a Western-educated elite, was a ‘derivative discourse’ in that it adopted concepts, language, and organizational forms from Western nationalism, while also being distinct in its context and goals. Statement II is true; Indian nationalism emerged as a response to Western imperialism and colonial rule, and as such, its nature, strategies, and even criticisms were fundamentally shaped by the structure and impact of the imperialism it was confronting. Statement II directly explains why Statement I is true: because it was a response to Western imperialism, Indian nationalism inevitably took on characteristics influenced by that which it was responding to, leading it to be, in part, a derivative discourse.
Indian nationalism, a response to Western imperialism, adopted elements from Western discourse while being shaped by the context of colonial rule.
Partha Chatterjee’s work, particularly “Nationalist Thought and the Colonial World: A Derivative Discourse?”, is central to this line of argument, suggesting that even while asserting its distinctiveness, anti-colonial nationalism operated within the intellectual frameworks established by colonialism.
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