Abstract
School textbooks play a crucial role in shaping collective memory and national identity, particularly in postcolonial societies where the past is deeply intertwined with questions of culture, religion, and political legitimacy. This article examines the politics of textbook production in contemporary India, focusing on how historical narratives are constructed, modified, and sometimes erased in alignment with changing ideological frameworks. Drawing on the theoretical insights of Michel Foucault and Benedict Anderson, the study conceptualizes textbooks as instruments of power that produce “regimes of truth” and sustain imagined national communities. The article situates textbook revisions within the broader transformations following economic liberalization in 1991 and the rise of cultural nationalism. It critically analyses key trends such as the reassertion of colonial periodization, the glorification of ancient India, the marginalization of the medieval period, and the reconfiguration of nationalist narratives. Through examples from NCERT and various Indian states, including Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Karnataka, the study demonstrates how textbooks function as sites of ideological intervention. It further explores the selective representation of cultural symbols, the inclusion of contemporary political narratives, and the systematic omission of subaltern histories. The article argues that textbooks are not neutral repositories of knowledge but active agents in shaping memory and identity. By privileging certain narratives and silencing others, they contribute to the construction of a homogenized national past that aligns with dominant political ideologies. The study concludes by emphasizing the need for critical, plural, and evidence-based history education in sustaining democratic values.