India-studies in the History of an Idea

India-studies in the History of an Idea

Author: Irfan Habib

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13:

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Papers presented at a seminar organized by Aligarh Historians Society in 2002 and held at Amritsar, India.


Book Synopsis India-studies in the History of an Idea by : Irfan Habib

Download or read book India-studies in the History of an Idea written by Irfan Habib and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Papers presented at a seminar organized by Aligarh Historians Society in 2002 and held at Amritsar, India.


A Brief History of India

A Brief History of India

Author: Alain Daniélou

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2003-02-11

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 1594777942

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Daniélou's powerful rebuttal to the conventional view of India's history, which calls for a massive reevaluation of the history of humanity • Explores historical occurrences from each major time period starting with the first appearance of man 30,000 years ago • Couples the clarity and perspective of an outsider with the unique and specific knowledge of an insider • By the internationally recognized Hindu scholar and translator of The Complete Kama Sutra (200,000 copies sold) Alain Daniélou approaches the history of India from a new perspective--as a sympathetic outsider, yet one who understands the deepest workings of the culture. Because the history of India covers such a long span of time, rather than try to create an exhaustive chronology of dates and events, Daniélou instead focuses on enduring institutions that remain constant despite the ephemeral historical events that occur. His selections, synthesis, and narration create a thoroughly engaging and readable journey through time, with a level of detail and comprehensiveness that is truly a marvel. Because of the continuity of its civilization, its unique social system, and the tremendous diversity of cultures, races, languages, and religions that exist in its vast territory, India is like a history museum. Its diverse groups maintained their separate identities and never fully supplanted the culture and knowledge of their predecessors. Even today one may encounter in India primitive Stone Age people whose technology has remained at what is considered prehistoric levels. Thus Daniélou's examination of India reveals not only the diversity and historical events and trends of that country, but also the history of all mankind. Through Daniélou's history of India we learn from whence we came, what we have discovered over the years in the fields of science, arts, technology, social structures, religions, and philosophical concepts, and what the future may hold for us.


Book Synopsis A Brief History of India by : Alain Daniélou

Download or read book A Brief History of India written by Alain Daniélou and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2003-02-11 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Daniélou's powerful rebuttal to the conventional view of India's history, which calls for a massive reevaluation of the history of humanity • Explores historical occurrences from each major time period starting with the first appearance of man 30,000 years ago • Couples the clarity and perspective of an outsider with the unique and specific knowledge of an insider • By the internationally recognized Hindu scholar and translator of The Complete Kama Sutra (200,000 copies sold) Alain Daniélou approaches the history of India from a new perspective--as a sympathetic outsider, yet one who understands the deepest workings of the culture. Because the history of India covers such a long span of time, rather than try to create an exhaustive chronology of dates and events, Daniélou instead focuses on enduring institutions that remain constant despite the ephemeral historical events that occur. His selections, synthesis, and narration create a thoroughly engaging and readable journey through time, with a level of detail and comprehensiveness that is truly a marvel. Because of the continuity of its civilization, its unique social system, and the tremendous diversity of cultures, races, languages, and religions that exist in its vast territory, India is like a history museum. Its diverse groups maintained their separate identities and never fully supplanted the culture and knowledge of their predecessors. Even today one may encounter in India primitive Stone Age people whose technology has remained at what is considered prehistoric levels. Thus Daniélou's examination of India reveals not only the diversity and historical events and trends of that country, but also the history of all mankind. Through Daniélou's history of India we learn from whence we came, what we have discovered over the years in the fields of science, arts, technology, social structures, religions, and philosophical concepts, and what the future may hold for us.


The Idea of India

The Idea of India

Author: Sunil Khilnani

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: 1999-06-04

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 9780374525910

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"In his new introduction, Khilnani addresses these issues in the new perspectives afforded by events of the recent year in India and in the world."--BOOK JACKET.


Book Synopsis The Idea of India by : Sunil Khilnani

Download or read book The Idea of India written by Sunil Khilnani and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 1999-06-04 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In his new introduction, Khilnani addresses these issues in the new perspectives afforded by events of the recent year in India and in the world."--BOOK JACKET.


Key Concepts in Modern Indian Studies

Key Concepts in Modern Indian Studies

Author: Rachel Dwyer

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 2016-03-18

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 1479848697

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Modern Indian studies have recently become a site for new, creative, and thought-provoking debates extending over a broad canvas of crucial issues. As a result of socio-political transformations, certain concepts—such as ahimsa, caste, darshan, and race—have taken on different meanings. Bringing together ideas, issues, and debates salient to modern Indian studies, this volume charts the social, cultural, political, and economic processes at work in the Indian subcontinent. Authored by internationally recognized experts, this volume comprises over one hundred individual entries on concepts central to their respective fields of specialization, highlighting crucial issues and debates in a lucid and concise manner. Each concept is accompanied by a critical analysis of its trajectory and a succinct discussion of its significance in the academic arena as well as in the public sphere. Enhancing the shared framework of understanding about the Indian subcontinent, Key Concepts in Modern Indian Studies will provide the reader with insights into vital debates about the region, underscoring the compelling issues emanating from colonialism and postcolonialism.


Book Synopsis Key Concepts in Modern Indian Studies by : Rachel Dwyer

Download or read book Key Concepts in Modern Indian Studies written by Rachel Dwyer and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2016-03-18 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Modern Indian studies have recently become a site for new, creative, and thought-provoking debates extending over a broad canvas of crucial issues. As a result of socio-political transformations, certain concepts—such as ahimsa, caste, darshan, and race—have taken on different meanings. Bringing together ideas, issues, and debates salient to modern Indian studies, this volume charts the social, cultural, political, and economic processes at work in the Indian subcontinent. Authored by internationally recognized experts, this volume comprises over one hundred individual entries on concepts central to their respective fields of specialization, highlighting crucial issues and debates in a lucid and concise manner. Each concept is accompanied by a critical analysis of its trajectory and a succinct discussion of its significance in the academic arena as well as in the public sphere. Enhancing the shared framework of understanding about the Indian subcontinent, Key Concepts in Modern Indian Studies will provide the reader with insights into vital debates about the region, underscoring the compelling issues emanating from colonialism and postcolonialism.


The Concept of Bharatavarsha and Other Essays

The Concept of Bharatavarsha and Other Essays

Author: B. D. Chattopadhyaya

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 2018-08-23

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 1438471750

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This exploration of key terms related to social and political order, found in early Indian texts, challenges the idea of a unified ancient India and a unified national identity at that time. This collection explores what may be called the idea of India in ancient times. Its undeclared objective is to identify key concepts which show early Indian civilization as distinct and differently oriented from other formations. The essays focus on ancient Indian texts within a variety of genres. They identify certain key terms—such as janapada, desa, var?a, dharma, bh?va—in their empirical contexts to suggest that neither the ideas embedded in these terms nor the idea of Bharatavarsha as a whole are “given entities,” but that they evolved historically. Professor Chattopadhyaya examines these texts to unveil historical processes. Without denying comparative history, he stresses that the internal dynamics of a society are best decoded via its own texts. His approach bears very effectively on understanding ongoing interactions between India’s “Great Tradition” and “Little Traditions.” As a whole, this book is critical of the notion of overarching Indian unity in the ancient period. It punctures the retrospective thrust of hegemonic nationalism as an ideology that has obscured the diverse textures of Indian civilization. Renowned for his scholarship on the ancient Indian past, Professor Chattopadhyaya’s latest collection only consolidates his high international reputation.


Book Synopsis The Concept of Bharatavarsha and Other Essays by : B. D. Chattopadhyaya

Download or read book The Concept of Bharatavarsha and Other Essays written by B. D. Chattopadhyaya and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 2018-08-23 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This exploration of key terms related to social and political order, found in early Indian texts, challenges the idea of a unified ancient India and a unified national identity at that time. This collection explores what may be called the idea of India in ancient times. Its undeclared objective is to identify key concepts which show early Indian civilization as distinct and differently oriented from other formations. The essays focus on ancient Indian texts within a variety of genres. They identify certain key terms—such as janapada, desa, var?a, dharma, bh?va—in their empirical contexts to suggest that neither the ideas embedded in these terms nor the idea of Bharatavarsha as a whole are “given entities,” but that they evolved historically. Professor Chattopadhyaya examines these texts to unveil historical processes. Without denying comparative history, he stresses that the internal dynamics of a society are best decoded via its own texts. His approach bears very effectively on understanding ongoing interactions between India’s “Great Tradition” and “Little Traditions.” As a whole, this book is critical of the notion of overarching Indian unity in the ancient period. It punctures the retrospective thrust of hegemonic nationalism as an ideology that has obscured the diverse textures of Indian civilization. Renowned for his scholarship on the ancient Indian past, Professor Chattopadhyaya’s latest collection only consolidates his high international reputation.


India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy

India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy

Author: Ramachandra Guha

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Published: 2017-07-13

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13: 1509883282

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Ramachandra Guha’s India after Gandhi is a magisterial account of the pains, struggles, humiliations and glories of the world’s largest and least likely democracy. A riveting chronicle of the often brutal conflicts that have rocked a giant nation, and of the extraordinary individuals and institutions who held it together, it established itself as a classic when it was first published in 2007. In the last decade, India has witnessed, among other things, two general elections; the fall of the Congress and the rise of Narendra Modi; a major anti-corruption movement; more violence against women, Dalits, and religious minorities; a wave of prosperity for some but the persistence of poverty for others; comparative peace in Nagaland but greater discontent in Kashmir than ever before. This tenth anniversary edition, updated and expanded, brings the narrative up to the present. Published to coincide with seventy years of the country’s independence, this definitive history of modern India is the work of one of the world’s finest scholars at the height of his powers.


Book Synopsis India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy by : Ramachandra Guha

Download or read book India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy written by Ramachandra Guha and published by Pan Macmillan. This book was released on 2017-07-13 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ramachandra Guha’s India after Gandhi is a magisterial account of the pains, struggles, humiliations and glories of the world’s largest and least likely democracy. A riveting chronicle of the often brutal conflicts that have rocked a giant nation, and of the extraordinary individuals and institutions who held it together, it established itself as a classic when it was first published in 2007. In the last decade, India has witnessed, among other things, two general elections; the fall of the Congress and the rise of Narendra Modi; a major anti-corruption movement; more violence against women, Dalits, and religious minorities; a wave of prosperity for some but the persistence of poverty for others; comparative peace in Nagaland but greater discontent in Kashmir than ever before. This tenth anniversary edition, updated and expanded, brings the narrative up to the present. Published to coincide with seventy years of the country’s independence, this definitive history of modern India is the work of one of the world’s finest scholars at the height of his powers.


The Loss of Hindustan

The Loss of Hindustan

Author: Manan Ahmed Asif

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2020-11-24

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 0674249844

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Shortlisted for the Cundill History Prize “Remarkable and pathbreaking...A radical rethink of colonial historiography and a compelling argument for the reassessment of the historical traditions of Hindustan.” —Mahmood Mamdani “The brilliance of Asif’s book rests in the way he makes readers think about the name ‘Hindustan’...Asif’s focus is Indian history but it is, at the same time, a lens to look at questions far bigger.” —Soni Wadhwa, Asian Review of Books “Remarkable...Asif’s analysis and conclusions are powerful and poignant.” —Rudrangshu Mukherjee, The Wire “A tremendous contribution...This is not only a book that you must read, but also one that you must chew over and debate.” —Audrey Truschke, Current History Did India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have a shared regional identity prior to the arrival of Europeans in the late fifteenth century? Manan Ahmed Asif tackles this contentious question by inviting us to reconsider the work and legacy of the influential historian Muhammad Qasim Firishta, a contemporary of the Mughal emperors Akbar and Jahangir. Inspired by his reading of Firishta and other historians, Asif seeks to rescue our understanding of the region from colonial narratives that emphasize difference and division. Asif argues that a European understanding of India as Hindu has replaced an earlier, native understanding of India as Hindustan, a home for all faiths. Turning to the subcontinent’s medieval past, he uncovers a rich network of historians of Hindustan who imagined, studied, and shaped their kings, cities, and societies. The Loss of Hindustan reveals how multicultural Hindustan was deliberately eclipsed in favor of the religiously partitioned world of today. A magisterial work with far reaching implications, it offers a radical reinterpretation of how India came to its contemporary political identity.


Book Synopsis The Loss of Hindustan by : Manan Ahmed Asif

Download or read book The Loss of Hindustan written by Manan Ahmed Asif and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2020-11-24 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shortlisted for the Cundill History Prize “Remarkable and pathbreaking...A radical rethink of colonial historiography and a compelling argument for the reassessment of the historical traditions of Hindustan.” —Mahmood Mamdani “The brilliance of Asif’s book rests in the way he makes readers think about the name ‘Hindustan’...Asif’s focus is Indian history but it is, at the same time, a lens to look at questions far bigger.” —Soni Wadhwa, Asian Review of Books “Remarkable...Asif’s analysis and conclusions are powerful and poignant.” —Rudrangshu Mukherjee, The Wire “A tremendous contribution...This is not only a book that you must read, but also one that you must chew over and debate.” —Audrey Truschke, Current History Did India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have a shared regional identity prior to the arrival of Europeans in the late fifteenth century? Manan Ahmed Asif tackles this contentious question by inviting us to reconsider the work and legacy of the influential historian Muhammad Qasim Firishta, a contemporary of the Mughal emperors Akbar and Jahangir. Inspired by his reading of Firishta and other historians, Asif seeks to rescue our understanding of the region from colonial narratives that emphasize difference and division. Asif argues that a European understanding of India as Hindu has replaced an earlier, native understanding of India as Hindustan, a home for all faiths. Turning to the subcontinent’s medieval past, he uncovers a rich network of historians of Hindustan who imagined, studied, and shaped their kings, cities, and societies. The Loss of Hindustan reveals how multicultural Hindustan was deliberately eclipsed in favor of the religiously partitioned world of today. A magisterial work with far reaching implications, it offers a radical reinterpretation of how India came to its contemporary political identity.


The Loss of Hindustan

The Loss of Hindustan

Author: Manan Ahmed Asif

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2020-11-24

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 067498790X

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A field-changing history explains how the subcontinent lost its political identity as the home of all religions and emerged as India, the land of the Hindus. Did South Asia have a shared regional identity prior to the arrival of Europeans in the late fifteenth century? This is a subject of heated debate in scholarly circles and contemporary political discourse. Manan Ahmed Asif argues that Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Republic of India share a common political ancestry: they are all part of a region whose people understand themselves as Hindustani. Asif describes the idea of Hindustan, as reflected in the work of native historians from roughly 1000 CE to 1900 CE, and how that idea went missing. This makes for a radical interpretation of how India came to its contemporary political identity. Asif argues that a European understanding of India as Hindu has replaced an earlier, native understanding of India as Hindustan, a home for all faiths. Turning to the subcontinent’s medieval past, Asif uncovers a rich network of historians of Hindustan who imagined, studied, and shaped their kings, cities, and societies. Asif closely examines the most complete idea of Hindustan, elaborated by the early seventeenth century Deccan historian Firishta. His monumental work, Tarikh-i Firishta, became a major source for European philosophers and historians, such as Voltaire, Kant, Hegel, and Gibbon during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Yet Firishta’s notions of Hindustan were lost and replaced by a different idea of India that we inhabit today. The Loss of Hindustan reveals the intellectual pathways that dispensed with multicultural Hindustan and created a religiously partitioned world of today.


Book Synopsis The Loss of Hindustan by : Manan Ahmed Asif

Download or read book The Loss of Hindustan written by Manan Ahmed Asif and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2020-11-24 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A field-changing history explains how the subcontinent lost its political identity as the home of all religions and emerged as India, the land of the Hindus. Did South Asia have a shared regional identity prior to the arrival of Europeans in the late fifteenth century? This is a subject of heated debate in scholarly circles and contemporary political discourse. Manan Ahmed Asif argues that Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Republic of India share a common political ancestry: they are all part of a region whose people understand themselves as Hindustani. Asif describes the idea of Hindustan, as reflected in the work of native historians from roughly 1000 CE to 1900 CE, and how that idea went missing. This makes for a radical interpretation of how India came to its contemporary political identity. Asif argues that a European understanding of India as Hindu has replaced an earlier, native understanding of India as Hindustan, a home for all faiths. Turning to the subcontinent’s medieval past, Asif uncovers a rich network of historians of Hindustan who imagined, studied, and shaped their kings, cities, and societies. Asif closely examines the most complete idea of Hindustan, elaborated by the early seventeenth century Deccan historian Firishta. His monumental work, Tarikh-i Firishta, became a major source for European philosophers and historians, such as Voltaire, Kant, Hegel, and Gibbon during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Yet Firishta’s notions of Hindustan were lost and replaced by a different idea of India that we inhabit today. The Loss of Hindustan reveals the intellectual pathways that dispensed with multicultural Hindustan and created a religiously partitioned world of today.


Negotiating Cultural Identity

Negotiating Cultural Identity

Author: Himanshu Prabha Ray

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2019-06-26

Total Pages: 303

ISBN-13: 1000227936

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This volume breaks new ground by conceptualizing physical landscapes as living cultural bodies. It redefines dynamic cultural landscapes as catalysts in which the natural world and human practice are inextricably linked and are constantly interacting. Drawing on research by eminent archaeologists, numismatists and historians, the essays in this volume • Provide insights into the ways people in the past, and in the present, imbue places with meanings; • Examine the social and cultural construction of space in the early medieval period in South Asia; • Trace complex patterns of historical development of a temple or a town, to understand ways in which such spaces often become a means of constructing the collective past and social traditions. With a new chapter on continuity and change in the sacred landscape of the Buddhist site at Udayagiri, the second edition of Negotiating Cultural Identity will be of immense interest to scholars and researchers of archaeology, social history, cultural studies, art history and anthropology.


Book Synopsis Negotiating Cultural Identity by : Himanshu Prabha Ray

Download or read book Negotiating Cultural Identity written by Himanshu Prabha Ray and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2019-06-26 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume breaks new ground by conceptualizing physical landscapes as living cultural bodies. It redefines dynamic cultural landscapes as catalysts in which the natural world and human practice are inextricably linked and are constantly interacting. Drawing on research by eminent archaeologists, numismatists and historians, the essays in this volume • Provide insights into the ways people in the past, and in the present, imbue places with meanings; • Examine the social and cultural construction of space in the early medieval period in South Asia; • Trace complex patterns of historical development of a temple or a town, to understand ways in which such spaces often become a means of constructing the collective past and social traditions. With a new chapter on continuity and change in the sacred landscape of the Buddhist site at Udayagiri, the second edition of Negotiating Cultural Identity will be of immense interest to scholars and researchers of archaeology, social history, cultural studies, art history and anthropology.


The Varied Facets of History

The Varied Facets of History

Author: Aniruddha Ray

Publisher: Primus Books

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9380607164

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Aniruddha Ray retired as Professor of History, from the Department of Islamic History and Culture, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal. Well known for his profound interest in historical research, Aniruddha Ray has written extensively about Mughal administration, technology and travelogues; the society and culture of Medieval Bengal; the economic history of the Sultanate and Mughal periods; overseas trade and merchants; and the French East India Company on the basis of a fine blending of his knowledge of Bengali, English and French sources. As a mark of esteem and affection, scholars in India and abroad have joined hands to offer him this volume. The festschrift reflects the range of Aniruddha Ray's interests and influences in some measure. The theme of the present volume includes the contemporary effort within academia to question the traditional representation of Indian history and the attempts in various areas of study to de-centre the writing of history, and to provide an alternative perspective to the history of fifteenth to nineteenth-century India. In this eclectic collection of essays one can see an innovative approach at work, which raises interesting questions when one situates these ideas and the historical evidence within the big picture, as one moves back and forth between the macro-perspective and the micro-history addressed in most of these essays. With eminent historians of the subcontinent contributing to it, The Varied Facets of History: Essays in Honour of Aniruddha Ray throws new light on aspects of Indian history: its sources and their interpretations, the evolution of cultural aspects like languages especially Hindi and Bengali, archaeology, painting, technology, trade and commerce and labour.


Book Synopsis The Varied Facets of History by : Aniruddha Ray

Download or read book The Varied Facets of History written by Aniruddha Ray and published by Primus Books. This book was released on 2011 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aniruddha Ray retired as Professor of History, from the Department of Islamic History and Culture, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal. Well known for his profound interest in historical research, Aniruddha Ray has written extensively about Mughal administration, technology and travelogues; the society and culture of Medieval Bengal; the economic history of the Sultanate and Mughal periods; overseas trade and merchants; and the French East India Company on the basis of a fine blending of his knowledge of Bengali, English and French sources. As a mark of esteem and affection, scholars in India and abroad have joined hands to offer him this volume. The festschrift reflects the range of Aniruddha Ray's interests and influences in some measure. The theme of the present volume includes the contemporary effort within academia to question the traditional representation of Indian history and the attempts in various areas of study to de-centre the writing of history, and to provide an alternative perspective to the history of fifteenth to nineteenth-century India. In this eclectic collection of essays one can see an innovative approach at work, which raises interesting questions when one situates these ideas and the historical evidence within the big picture, as one moves back and forth between the macro-perspective and the micro-history addressed in most of these essays. With eminent historians of the subcontinent contributing to it, The Varied Facets of History: Essays in Honour of Aniruddha Ray throws new light on aspects of Indian history: its sources and their interpretations, the evolution of cultural aspects like languages especially Hindi and Bengali, archaeology, painting, technology, trade and commerce and labour.