Biography as History: Through the Lens of Bhagat Singh

Abstract

The paper explores the intricate relationship between history and biography, arguing that biography is not a mere part of history but an integral tool for the reconstruction of the historical past that acts as one of the foundation builders for history writing. It challenges the traditional notion of biography, which many historians considto beo beas nothing but a melodrama of narration full of per details. The study emphasizes the role of biographical writing from the 18th century and by the 20th century how it became an important historiographical tool. This paper raises some of the important questions such as how can a biography act as history? If so, then how? How can it be regarded as one of the primary sources or the secondary sources in writing history? The answer to these questions is drawn upon by studying and analyzing the biographical works on Bhagat Singh which also illustrates how biographical works can shape historical understanding through the lens of an individual’s ideology, motives, and perspectives. This paper also challenges the stereotype that many historians believe that biography is an “inferior type of history” and also highlights the concept of “new biography” that shaped modern feminist ideas. The main feature of this paper is that it explains biography as history through the lens of the Indian context through the example of Bhagat Singh’s life which shaped the social and political history of India. It shows how the biography on Bhagat Singh has led to the rise of concepts such as socialism, marxism, and radicalism in Indian minds and their effects. It rejects the notion that biography is separate from history, but it carries certain limitations that should be kept in mind.

DOI: 10.46700/asssr/2025/v7/i2/169