Business History: Travails and Trajectories

The connection between study of history and management education is tenuous. Scholarly output in business history is expanding in scope and by region. But business history remains marginalized in management curricula across the world. This is despite the fact that management scholars realize the benefits of history—a methodological warning against simplistic, linear thinking and a healthy dose of sceptical attitude towards received views. In this essay, we provide the history of the discipline as it strives to carve out its identity vis-a-vis its more established neighbouring disciplines such as history and economics. We also discuss the reasons for the marginalization of business history in management education. We note that business history has not struck its roots in academic institutions in India, nor has business historians in India developed professional associations to promote their cause as in USA, Europe and Japan. Despite this, scholarship in business history of India is thriving. Thus, there are greater opportunities now for teaching business history in management programmes in India. We look at institutional initiatives in teaching history in management programmes in India. We argue that in the Indian case, the study of business history has a special relevance due to the fact that Indian capitalism has a unique colonial origin and a distinctive post-colonial evolution.