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$27.01
81. Sufism, Culture, and Politics:
$25.95
82. Caste, Society and Politics in
$26.42
83. Sex and the Family in Colonial
$21.95
84. Christian Identity and Dalit Religion
$9.26
85. In Spite of the Gods: The Rise
$21.49
86. The Puffin History of India for
 
$7.51
87. The History of Buddhism in India
$10.31
88. National Geographic Investigates:
$9.99
89. India: Brief History of a Civilization
$21.99
90. A History of Civilization in Ancient
$17.88
91. India before Europe
$18.24
92. India by Design: Colonial History
$23.57
93. Modern South Asia: History, Culture,
$12.75
94. India and the Mughal Dynasty
$35.56
95. Christianity in India: From Beginnings
$42.45
96. The Raj at Table: A Culinary History
$11.50
97. Art for a Modern India, 1947-1980
$28.48
98. A Social History of the Deccan,
$16.39
99. Access to History Britain and

81. Sufism, Culture, and Politics: Afghans and Islam in Medieval North India
by Raziuddin Aquil
Hardcover: 296 Pages (2009-10-15)
list price: US$38.00 -- used & new: US$27.01
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Asin: 0195685121
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Strongly grounded in Persian manuscripts, many of them unpublished, this book makes an innovative and original intervention in the existing debates on the questions of medieval politics, patterns of governance as well as the relationship between politics, Islam and Muslim religious leaders. Exploding the myth that Sufis, especially Chishtis, kept aloof from politics, it shows how Sufis enjoyed royal patronage and helped legitimise Aghans' political cause. The author also explores the contributions of Sufis and Afghans to vernacular literature and devotional music. Contesting existing notions of the "tribal" character of Afghan political institutions, he argues that Surs and other Afghan dynasties drew upon Persian understandings of universal kingship to put in place a coherent monarchical system. The book also discusses how Rajputs and other non-Muslims collaborated with the Aghans to broaden the base of government apparatus. ... Read more


82. Caste, Society and Politics in India from the Eighteenth Century to the Modern Age (The New Cambridge History of India)
by Susan Bayly
Paperback: 444 Pages (2001-03-26)
list price: US$43.00 -- used & new: US$25.95
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Asin: 0521798426
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The phenomenon of caste has probably aroused more controversy than any other aspect of Indian life. This volume explores the emergence of ideas and practices that gave rise to the so-called "caste-society." Using a historical and anthropological approach, the author frames her analysis in the context of India's economic and social order, interpreting caste as a contingent and variable response to changes in India's political landscape through the colonial conquest. The book's wide-ranging analysis offers one of the most powerful statements ever written on caste in South Asia. ... Read more


83. Sex and the Family in Colonial India: The Making of Empire (Cambridge Studies in Indian History and Society)
by Durba Ghosh
Paperback: 292 Pages (2008-01-14)
list price: US$32.99 -- used & new: US$26.42
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Asin: 0521673798
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In the early years of the British empire, cohabitation between Indian women and British men was commonplace and to some degree tolerated. However, as Durba Ghosh argues in a challenge to the existing historiography, anxieties about social status, appropriate sexuality, and the question of who could be counted as 'British' or 'Indian' were constant concerns of the colonial government even at this time. By following the stories of a number of mixed-race families, at all levels of the social scale, from high-ranking officials and noblewomen to rank-and-file soldiers and camp followers, and also the activities of indigenous female concubines, mistresses and wives, the author offers a fascinating account of how gender, class and race affected the cultural, social and even political mores of the period. The book makes an original and signal contribution to scholarship on colonialism, gender and sexuality. ... Read more


84. Christian Identity and Dalit Religion in Hindu India, 1868-1947 (Studies in the History of Christian Missions)
by Chad M. Bauman
Paperback: 276 Pages (2008-10-16)
list price: US$40.00 -- used & new: US$21.95
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Asin: 0802862764
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85. In Spite of the Gods: The Rise of Modern India
by Edward Luce
Paperback: 416 Pages (2008-03-11)
list price: US$16.00 -- used & new: US$9.26
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Asin: 1400079772
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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As the world's largest democracy and a rising international economic power, India has long been heralded for its great strides in technology and trade. Yet it is also plagued by poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, and a vast array of other social and economic issues.

Here, noted journalist and former Financial Times South Asia bureau chief Edward Luce travels throughout India's many regions, cultures, and religious circles, investigating its fragile balance between tradition and modernity. From meetings with key political figures to fascinating encounters with religious pundits, economic gurus, and village laborers, In Spite of the Gods is a fascinating blend of analysis and reportage that comprehensively depicts the nuances of India's complex situation and its place in the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (69)

4-0 out of 5 stars na
no real review needed its a used book - came as described now Amazon leave me the frick alone

3-0 out of 5 stars Great sweeping coverage but lacks in journalistic quality in some places
Loved the book for the most part but found some sections too colored with western stereotypes. The interviews with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and with Sonia Gandhi stand out in particular. It seems that nothing Sri Sri Ravi Shankar could have said would have changed the author's opinion about him, and nothing Sonia Gandhi could have said that would change the image of a long suffering selfless woman in the author's mind. The book is worth reading though and successfully imparts the complex, often chaotic, never boring view of India and her many unique facets...

4-0 out of 5 stars Rise of a country with people in it
Andy Luce had presented a very interested insight into the changes taking place in modern India. He has tried to combine perspectives in a very good way. Being an Indian, I enjoyed reading the book and it helped to look at the other side of the coin. Its not a book about details or statistics but how changes in one front relate to life somewhere else. Andy very nicely puts the chaos, the dynamics, the success in the largest democracy.

1-0 out of 5 stars I wish I could give 0 stars!
There is an old saying -- "Don't judge a book by its cover alone." But there are exceptions to every rule and this book proves this fact quite easily. I wish I could give zero stars to this book.

What do You mean Mr Luce when you say -- "In Spite of the Gods." Your comments make us believe that India was not able to prosper for sometime following Independence because of our religious practices. Actually India from 1947 to 1980 was trying to stand on its feet and trying to regain its balance after the British Raped India for 90 years. If the British had not ruled India, we would have been the World's second largest economy today as we were in the year 1820. May be even the largest. It was because of Britain's butchering of India that India became so poor.

I am proud to be a Hindu and all people in India who are Hindu are proud of that fact! It is because of our faith in God that India has started following its path to its destiny, not in spite of!

Let me give you a brief idea of how much wealth the British looted when they colonialized India :-

It has been estimated that between 1925 and 1947 alone, the British Raj transferred 300 billion dollars from India in "1947 dollars" to the UK. It translates to around 10 trillion dollars in today's dollars. The billions of dollars worth Kohinoor Diamond is still in the UK and it symbolizes the loot carried on by the British when they were in India and will always do. Not to mention the numerous artifacts lying in British museums and royal safes which once belonged to India. The total value of British dacoity is estimated at $56 trillion.

I urge all Indian and Hindus to boycott this book as it has shown the Indians how jealous the British can be of India's rise. The extent of this jealousy can be judged from its cover -- "In Spite of ...." as if to say we are better off not being a Hindu.

I am proud to be an Indian, today more than ever!

3-0 out of 5 stars areaderfromca

I am originally from India. I have read quite a few books on India written by non-Indian authors, some of them quite good, the others just average.

I rated this book a 3. I agree with some of the criticisms leveled against it by some other reviewers, like the book seems to be a juxtaposition of facts, observations and conclusions, lacking a central thread to unite them.

It does not bother me that the book is mostly condescending. It is one person's observations who has a point of view.However, it suffers from some other more serious flaws.

For example, the book, like manyother books written about a country or a culture by a writer who is not a native of that country, did not provide an understanding of India or its culture beyond scratching the surface. I have lived in the US for many years now. I have voted in two election cycles. I am a news junkie and I consider myself to be fairly well-informed. However, I am sure that if I were to write a book about the US, every 10-20 pages, a reader native to the US would almost certainly exclaim - oh! this guy did not get that, or, oh! This guy's understanding of this is incomplete or wrong.

It is only natural for a journalist, who spends a few years in India, dividing his time between the various countries of the subcontinent, to miss a lot more than what I would miss about the US. That is OK.

But the problem arises when such a person tries to cover too much ground starting with ancient history to the present day, and covers too many topics, and to top it all, tries to analyze the information he has compiled. The information for a large part, is incomplete, and often wrong. His analysis cannot be any better than that, assuming the author is good at analyzing.

There are too many things to point out in the book that I found were either factually incomplete, or incorrect. I will cite only a few.

The author claims that Ashok (from 300BC) is considered the greatest Indian king/ruler of all time. And then he claims that India basically splintered into many smaller pieces until Akbar, the moghul emperor reunited the country in the 1500s. The author completely missed the golden age of India from 3rd to 6th century AD, when the Guptas ruled most of India for several hundred years and during whose time India made so many contributions to the arts (Ajanta, Elora, Kalidas), architecture (the great temples), math (zero, the decimal system), science, astronomy, law etc. Between Ashok and Akbar, there were many periods and rulers when most of India was under one rule.

The author claims that Gandhi understood that unlike the other colonialists from Europe, the British were susceptible to argument. And Gandhi used the power of his arguments to win independence for India. The author hasn't even read his own (British) history well. Gandhi used non-violence as a method to implement a policy, of non-cooperation, with the British. It was not his arguments but the policy of non-cooperation that cause the British some pain. And the British still would not have given up India (what a laughable idea in itself) were it not for World War II which effectively bankrupted the empire and left them short of manpower and finances to keep hanging on to a non-cooperative colony.

The author claims that the Indian policy makers are blind and deaf to the reading the nuclear posture of Pakistan and this could lead to a catastrophe. He cites the period after the attacks on the Indian Parliament in 2002 when India and Pakistan almost came to blows. He claims that Pakistanis explicitly kept saying that all options were open, while the Indians and their hyperventilating media maintained that there was no such danger. And all this while, most of the western press kept ringing the alarm bells. What the author failed to observe is that many Western countries lead by the US and the UK had issued serious travel advisories against India and most foreign businesses were putting their operations in India on hold or thinking about pulling out altogether. The US and others did this to put pressure on India to back away from its aggressive posture so that their plans in Afghanistan would not be disrupted. And a lot of the hype about a nuclear confrontation was just that, hype created by Western governments and media to that end.

There are many other instances. In sum, I would say that the author's writing style is entertaining but I would take his analysis with a few lumps of salt.
... Read more


86. The Puffin History of India for Children: 3000 BC to AD 1947
by Roshen Dalal
Paperback: 416 Pages (2002-11-15)
list price: US$9.46 -- used & new: US$21.49
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Asin: 0143335448
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87. The History of Buddhism in India and Tibet
by Rin-Chen-Gru Bu-Ston, E. Obermiller
 Paperback: 221 Pages (2006-12-01)
list price: US$14.95 -- used & new: US$7.51
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Asin: 8188043419
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The quotations from both Sutras and shastra made it possible to get a clear picture of the principal sources from which Bu-Ton has compiled his history. ... Read more


88. National Geographic Investigates: Ancient India: Archaeology Unlocks the Secrets of India's Past
by Anita Dalal
Hardcover: 64 Pages (2007-08-14)
list price: US$17.95 -- used & new: US$10.31
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Asin: 1426300700
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The culture of ancient India is revealed through archaeology, our modern-day portal to the past. Through dramatic photography and lively narrative, take a passage to Indian antiquity. Visit Mohenjo-Daro or the "mound of the dead," a city built between 4 and 5 thousand years ago. Read how excavations there, begun in 1922, continue to uncover this ancient citadel. Learn, first-hand, what modern techniques tell us about ancient civilizations in the lower Indus Valley. And see how ancient treasures help archaeologists stitch together the multitudinous strands of India's past. ... Read more


89. India: Brief History of a Civilization
by Thomas R. Trautmann
Paperback: 248 Pages (2010-07-29)
list price: US$19.95 -- used & new: US$9.99
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Asin: 0199736324
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India: Brief History of a Civilization provides a brief overview of a very long period, allowing students to acquire a mental map of the entire history of Indian civilization in a short book. Most comprehensive histories devote a few chapters to the early history of India and an increasing number of pages to the more recent period, giving an impression that early history is mere background and that Indian civilization finds its fulfillment in the nation-state. Thomas R. Trautmann believes that the deep past lives on and is a valuable resource for understanding the present day and for creating a viable future. The result is a book that is short enough to read in a few sittings, but comprehensive in coverage--5,000 years of India in brief. ... Read more


90. A History of Civilization in Ancient India, Based on Sanscrit Literature: Volume 3. Buddhist and Pauranik Ages
by Romesh Chunder Dutt
Paperback: 562 Pages (2001-03-11)
list price: US$21.99 -- used & new: US$21.99
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Asin: 0543929396
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1890 edition by Thacker, Spink and Co.; Trübner and Co., Calcutta-London. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

5-0 out of 5 stars history of India
Excellent and readable History of India written through the eyes of an Indian author, which adds a certain charm and elegance. This. however should be read after the history of India volume I. Together, they produce a nice beginning history.dr.ron Lewis ... Read more


91. India before Europe
by Catherine B. Asher, Cynthia Talbot
Paperback: 336 Pages (2006-04-03)
list price: US$34.99 -- used & new: US$17.88
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Asin: 0521005396
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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India is a land of enormous diversity. Cross-cultural influences are everywhere in evidence, in the food people eat, the clothes they wear, and in the places they worship. This was ever the case, and at no time more so than in the India that existed from 1200 to 1750, before the European intervention. This beautifully illustrated book takes the reader on a journey across the political, religious and cultural landscapes of medieval India. It is fluently composed, with a cast of characters that will educate students and general readers alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

4-0 out of 5 stars A comment
I have not read this book. However I wanted to make a comment to potential readers before they buy this book. It's probably well-researched and informative. However, it's important for readers to realize that while India wasn't invaded by Western Europeans until then, it was invaded by Turkic and Persian speaking nations several times (and that's not going back to Alexander the Great 2,300 years ago) -- Europeans might not have been aggressors until 1750, but there were lots of other aggressors prior to that.

5-0 out of 5 stars Lovely
This is an excellent book of lucid essays that helps orient one to Indian history. Splendid on political history, art and religion.I greatly enjoyed reading it.

4-0 out of 5 stars India 1200-1750
It must be pointed out that books on India History seem to be rather scarce if compared to other civilizations (such as China, Islam or Europe). So when I found this book I decide it to give it a chance, in despite of not finding previous comments on it.

I have the impression that Asher and Talbot want to cover its subject with a new approach, and for that they blend the following matters in a peculiar way: (i) politics, (ii) architecture as a tool for power to display and claim legitimacy (they spent many interesting pages describing mosques, palaces, temples, shrines and so on); (iii) court and elite culture. If compared to other more common explanation schemes, economics are treated succinctly. No data on the way the common folk lived are provided. Besides, the authors stress that presenting Islam and Hinduism as confronted realities would be an anachronic simplification laden with present-day political views.

All that (and much more that I do not mention in this summary) is developed in 300 pages, the book being divided in the following chapters: 1.- Introduction: situating India. 2.- The expansion of Turkic power, 1180-1350. 3.- Southern India in the Age of Vijayanagara, 1350-1550. 4.- North India between empires: history, society, and culture, 1350-1550. 5.- Sixteenth-century North India: empire reformulated. 6.- Expanding political and economic spheres, 1550-1650. 7.- Elite cultures in seventeenth-century South Asia. 8.- Challenging central authority, 1650-1750. 9.- Changing socio-economic formations, 1650-1750. Epilogue. Biographical notes. Bibliography (no footnotes are include in the text).

The book is no very engaging, but it is not dry either. It can be savoured by the professional historian, and, perhaps, by the educated layperson too. Therefore, my rate is between 5 (content) and 3 (pleasure, sometimes falling to 2, sometimes raising to 4).

Other book that I would recommend to read would be "Gem in the Lotus: The Seeding of Indian Civilisation" by Abraham Eraly. "Al-Hind" by Andre Wink (an intended work in five volumes, three of which have already been published) also seems interesting (although I have not read it yet).And, above all, I would reccomend "The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies" by Thomas McEvilley.


... Read more


92. India by Design: Colonial History and Cultural Display
by Saloni Mathur
Paperback: 230 Pages (2007-11-06)
list price: US$21.95 -- used & new: US$18.24
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Asin: 0520252314
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India by Design: Colonial History and Cultural Display maps for the first time a series of historical events--from the Raj in the mid-nineteenth century up to the present day--through which India was made fashionable to Western audiences within the popular cultural arenas of the imperial metropole. Situated at the convergence of discussions in anthropology, art history, museum studies, and postcolonial criticism, this dynamic study investigates with vivid historical detail how Indian objects, bodies, images, and narratives circulated through metropolitan space and acquired meaning in an emergent nineteenth-century consumer economy. Through an examination of India as represented in department stores, museums, exhibitions, painting, and picture postcards of the era, the book carefully confronts the problems and politics of postcolonial display and offers an original and provocative account of the implications of colonial practices for visual production in our contemporary world. ... Read more


93. Modern South Asia: History, Culture, Political Economy
by Sugata Bose, Ayesha Jalal
Paperback: 272 Pages (2003-12-18)
list price: US$35.95 -- used & new: US$23.57
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Asin: 0415307872
Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars
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A wide-ranging survey of the Indian sub-continent, Modern South Asia gives an enthralling account of South Asian history. After sketching the pre-modern history of the subcontinent, the book concentrates on the last three centuries from c.1700 to the present. Jointly written by two leading Indian and Pakistani historians, Modern South Asia offers a rare depth of understanding of the social, economic and political realities of this region.The new edition includes a rewritten, accessible introduction and a chapter by chapter revision to take into account recent research. The second edition will also bring the book completely up to date with a chapter on the period from 1991 to 2002 and a discussion of the last millennium in sub-continental history.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

1-0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
The book does not provide nearly enough information to truly understand the complexities of the situations. It presents a somewhat biased view, as one author is Pakistani and the other is a member of Subhas Chandra Bose's family (and so naturally has less than glowing praise for the Congress leadership at the time of independence). The book is often repetitive, making the same points in multiple chapters. It attempts to sound more intellectual than it really is, through the use of complicated vocabulary, while presenting a rather simplistic history of the region. Overall, a disappointing book.

2-0 out of 5 stars Hackneyed
The book lacks originality and boldness, that is required for a post-colonial understanding of the past 300 years of Indian history.

2-0 out of 5 stars Lacks depth
This is an eighth grade level account of India's history written in a high-sounding English. Also, this book assumes some familiarity by the reader with the past of India, but I think that if you already know that much, you do not need this book.
Perhaps, and only perhaps, the books suffers from mediocrity because the two authors, one of Indian and the other of Pakistani origin, had to make compromises in the emphasis they could jointly place on the aspects of modern India's history which are interesting to the younger generation. One such aspect is the causes and consequences of the partition of India, the role of three parties - the British, Indian National Congress and the Muslim League. The book seems to shy away in taking a hard and penetrating look at this. There are hardly any citations to original sources where one could look for more detail.
There are so many other good books where you can find modern Indian history covered at greater depth and width. If you have limited amount of money to spend to buy a good introductory book, then find another one.

3-0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
This book will disappoint anybody with a decent knowledge of the history of India. While this book provides is a good general review of the events in the subcontinent over the last 300 years, it is not rigorous in its treatment of various events that have occured.

However, the authors have admirably condensed 300 years of history in a small text and thus the book merits three stars.

4-0 out of 5 stars Concise--Provides new perspectives on history of South Asia
I enjoyed reading this book, it is a concise and easy reading. It makes few but strong points--political economy of colonialism, freedom movement and also describes, what is known as the 'People's history' of South Asia. More focus has been given to Bengal, Punjab and Tamil Nadu. I wish there was some on more stuff on Sindh, NWFP, Nepal and so on.

A must read for those who are inteested in South Asia. ... Read more


94. India and the Mughal Dynasty
by Valerie Berinstain
Paperback: 160 Pages (1998-03-01)
list price: US$12.95 -- used & new: US$12.75
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Asin: 0810928566
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Customer Reviews (4)

5-0 out of 5 stars a perfect little intro
This book provided everything I hoped it would: 1) A brief outline of the major events and major figures in Mughal history - 2)Some anecdotal material - 3)maps, pictures, diagrams, etc.

It also had some bonuses, like a suggested list for further reading, some translations of texts and letters from people from the time period.The Babur-nama undoubtedly provided the most entertaining texts.

This certainly isn't the be all end all of Mughal history, but that's not what this book is attempting to be.It provides a concise, brief picture of the dynasty and provides the perfect springboard to go deeper into the subject. I finished the book in one sitting in a few hours and that was with really looking at the paintings, diagrams and pictures.All in all, this is a brilliant little intro to a fascinating subject.It certainly has made me want to read further.

5-0 out of 5 stars A lovely introduction
I love the Discoveries Series.An intelligent text is interwoven with beautiful illustrations and pictures. Each illustration comes with text that is pregnant with information. In fact, the text and the illustrations can be read as parallel texts.

This one on the Mughal empire is an absolute delight - even though the final days of the Mughals India are treated only very briefly. It's the sort of text that children and adults can learn a lot from. Beautiful and Magic.

5-0 out of 5 stars An excellent historical reader -
I have read lots of background essays on the influence of the Mughals in India - but Ms. Berinstein's is the best as it links the influence of the Samarkand society on an attempt by later Mughal leaders to integrate into Indian society - if you want a good reader and on the way to India - this is a must read - itis a jumping off point to read more about the Mughals individually, the Sikhs, the Rajputs and the impact of British power on a declining culture.A quality paperback (small in size but packs a wallop) with excellent pictoral displays. Jay Pineda, Ph.D (History and Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara)

5-0 out of 5 stars Nice "handbook" overviewing the Mughal Empire.
This is a small, but nice book that gives only an overview of the Mughal Empire.It is full of colored pictures mixed in with the text, and lots of info sidebars. While it made for an enjoyable read, if you need somethingmore on the academic side, with heavy detail, this is not the book you arelooking for. ... Read more


95. Christianity in India: From Beginnings to the Present (Oxford History of the Christian Church)
by Robert Eric Frykenberg
Paperback: 600 Pages (2010-04-05)
list price: US$45.00 -- used & new: US$35.56
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Asin: 0199575835
Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars
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Robert Frykenberg's insightful study explores and enhances historical understandings of Christian communities, cultures, and institutions within the Indian world from their beginnings down to the present. As one out of several manifestations of a newly emerging World Christianity, in which Christians of a Post-Christian West are a minority, it has focused upon those trans-cultural interactions within Hindu and Muslim environments which have made Christians in this part of the world distinctive. It seeks to uncover various complexities in the proliferation of Christianity in its many forms and to examine processes by which Christian elements intermingled with indigenous cultures and which resulted in multiple identities, and also left imprints upon various cultures of India.

Thomas Christians believe that the Apostle Thomas came to India in 52 A.D./C.E., and that he left seven congregations to carry on the Mission of bringing the Gospel to India. In our day the impulse of this Mission is more alive than ever. Catholics, in three hierarchies, have become most numerous; and various Evangelicals/Protestant communities constitute the third great tradition. With the rise of Pentecostalism, a fourth great wave of Christian expansion in India has occurred. Starting with movements that began a century ago, there are now ten to fifteen times more missionaries than ever before, virtually all of them Indian. Needless to say, Christianity in India is profoundly Indian and Frykenberg provides a fascinating guide to its unique history and practice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

3-0 out of 5 stars The best but not the first single volume history of Christianity in India
This is a comprehensive, single-volume history of Christianity in India, which takes into account the beginnings of Christianity and covers its present state. The history of Christian communities is presented as "Indocentric," where Christianity is seen as indigenous and contextual to the various cultures of India. However, the author's claim that such a task has not been accomplished before, in a single volume, needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. The very first volume on Indian Christianity by C. B. Firth, which was written in the 1960s, is still one of the most popular single-volume histories of the growth of Christianity in India in spite of its historiography being far from perfect. The major strength of Frykenburg's work is that it is concerned about Indian Christians, their indigenous cultures, communities, and institutions rather than with the foreign missionary enterprise in India. However, since Frykenburg worked mostly in South India, he devotes a major portion of this volume to South Indian Christianity. As far as the history of Christianity in North India is concerned, I find this volume disappointing. Christianity in North India is referred to, in a passing manner, in less than two pages (pp 239-240, out of about 500 pages of the text), which deals only about the mass movements in the 19th century. The subject then comes up only in the Conclusion and Epilogue sections, that too, referring only to the current mass movement of Dalits in Uttar Pradesh. Even this section is based on unconfirmed/unreliable facts and figures.
In contemporary India, perhaps the largest national federation of indigenous missionary organizations is India Missions Association (IMA). The author writes it as "Indian Missionary Association!" (p 464). In fact, there is no such organization in India. So much for the scholarly treatment of current Indian Christianity, not to mention the misspelt names of Indian theologians/Christians. I wish the editors had referred the draft to some Indian Christians about whom this book is about, before going to the press. Nevertheless, this volume is a significant contribution to the history of Christianity in India and will remain a great source for years to come for anyone interested in the Indian church.
V. John
... Read more


96. The Raj at Table: A Culinary History of the British in India
by David Burton
Paperback: 256 Pages (1994-08)
list price: US$12.95 -- used & new: US$42.45
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Asin: 0571143903
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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While the British were in India they developed a curious cuisine all of their own. Anglo-Indian cooking was at its best when it achieved a kind of cultural balance; mulligatawny, kedgeree and Worcestershire sauce are all products of the Raj. David Burton draws on first-hand accounts to describe a valuable piece of social history: in addition to over 60 authentic recipes. He builds up a fascinating and often hilarious picture of the British - at best endearingly naive, at worst ignorant and xenophobic - seen through the kitchen door. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

4-0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, Hilarious Regional History of British Cuisine
This book is chock-a-block with interesting insights and hilarious anecdotes set against a scrupulously researched tissue of culinary-cum-cultural history.I could not put it down, and there were moments when I laughed at loud!To read and understand *The Raj at Table* is to taste the cross-cultural confluences that continue to temper our sense of culinary style today ... Read more


97. Art for a Modern India, 1947-1980 (Objects/Histories)
by Rebecca M. Brown
Paperback: 224 Pages (2009-01-01)
list price: US$22.95 -- used & new: US$11.50
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0822343754
Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

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Following India’s independence in 1947, Indian artists creating modern works of art sought to maintain a local idiom, an “Indianness” representative of their newly independent nation, while connecting to modernism, an aesthetic then understood as both universal and presumptively Western. These artists depicted India’s precolonial past while embracing aspects of modernism’s pursuit of the new, and they challenged the West’s dismissal of non-Western places and cultures as sources of primitivist imagery but not of modernist artworks. In Art for a Modern India, Rebecca M. Brown explores the emergence of a self-conscious Indian modernism—in painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, film, and photography—in the years between independence and 1980, by which time the Indian art scene had changed significantly and postcolonial discourse had begun to complicate mid-century ideas of nationalism.

Through close analyses of specific objects of art and design, Brown describes how Indian artists engaged with questions of authenticity, iconicity, narrative, urbanization, and science and technology. She explains how the filmmaker Satyajit Ray presented the rural Indian village as a socially complex space rather than as the idealized site of “authentic India” in his acclaimed Apu Trilogy, how the painter Bhupen Khakhar reworked Indian folk idioms and borrowed iconic images from calendar prints in his paintings of urban dwellers, and how Indian architects developed a revivalist style of bold architectural gestures anchored in India’s past as they planned the Ashok Hotel and the Vigyan Bhavan Conference Center, both in New Delhi. Discussing these and other works of art and design, Brown chronicles the mid-twentieth-century trajectory of India’s modern visual culture.

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Customer Reviews (2)

5-0 out of 5 stars IGNORE first review; This is a brilliant book that will be widely read in many fields for years to come
I felt compelled to review this book because the first Amazon reviewer was so far off base. Yes, this is not a survey of Modern Indian Art. As the earlier reviewer notes, Brown tells the reader that very fact in the opening pages; she never for a moment pretends to be writing a survey text. But the earlier reviewer misses her more important point: she isn't just NOT writing a survey, but is in fact making an important argument against such texts. The reviewer complains that there aren't enough paintings in the book, but he fails to mention that this book covers painting, architecture, Bollywood film, folk art, and other forms -- and it discusses them within the crucial context of post-Independence Indian history. In doing so, Brown argues that India art in this period had to negotiate the complicated relationship of "Modernity," which is not just a time period but a complex and contested concept.

How could India become a "modern" nation, and how could Indian artists produce "modern" art, when the very idea of the "modern" in western art had come to be defined AGAINST the so-called "backwardness" or even "primitiveness" of countries like India? Brown is concerned to study the art and the history of this period in order to answer this question. She is not concerned to catalogue every painting made during that time, nor (as the earlier reviewer suggests) is Brown looking to "defend" India against it's so-called "dissing" by the West. I have no clue where the reviewer got that notion, but surely it wasn't from Brown's book. It's ironic that this reviewer would give Brown a one-star review while praising Partha Mitter's (very praiseworthy) book on Modern Indian Art; the irony lies in the fact that Mitter himself praised Brown's book so highly that he appears in the blurb on the back of the book.

If you are just looking for good images of Indian painting, do a google search. If you want to read a brilliant, learned, yet always lucid engagement with a wide range of genres of art, while learning a great deal about 20th century Indian history, while gaining some great insights into postcolonial theory, then definitely order ART FOR A MODERN INDIA.

1-0 out of 5 stars BEWARE: NOT a survey of Indian modern art from 1947-1980
I have a small axe to grind,......
"NOT a survey of Indian modern art from 1947-1980,"(understatement of the year, However this book would be a lot more interesting if it was....)this is how one of the introductory paragraphs begins.....This book goes on to explore architecture, some fine art, and mostly covers how the Indian population has been 'dissed' by Western culture,..especially the art culture. One thing that bothers me about most books on Modern Art in India, is that the authors seem to have a problem with the past colonialism, and connecting the visual effects on art. It does not matter much where Picasso got his influence for cubism(because the artwork is powerful on its own), but for some reason... it really matters in Indian culture. The justifications that Indian Art is 'legit' and has its own merits would be better argued if the author bothered to give examples of more artwork and show how Indian artists were committed to their ideas, and their craft. There are about 8 examples of paintings that the author decided to put in, thats it....8 paintings for almost 40 years......This is far far away from any real analytical study of modern art in India. I am still waiting for a complete survey that does not get caught up in old arguments and analyzes the artwork and power of their creativity on its own merits. ... Read more


98. A Social History of the Deccan, 1300-1761: Eight Indian Lives (The New Cambridge History of India)
by Richard M. Eaton
Paperback: 236 Pages (2008-03-10)
list price: US$37.99 -- used & new: US$28.48
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0521716276
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Editorial Review

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In this fascinating account of one of the least known parts of South Asia, Richard Eaton recounts the history of the Deccan plateau in southern India from the fourteenth century to the rise of European colonialism. He does so, vividly, through the lives of eight Indians who lived at different times during this period, and who each represented something particular about the Deccan. Their stories are woven together into a rich narrative tapestry, which illuminates the most important social processes of the Deccan across four centuries and provides a much-needed book by the most highly regarded scholar in the field. ... Read more


99. Access to History Britain and India 1845-1947
by Tim Leadbeater
Paperback: 192 Pages (2009-06-15)
list price: US$17.95 -- used & new: US$16.39
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0340965975
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Editorial Review

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Britain and India, 1845-1947 has been aimed specifically at students following the Edexcel specifications for this period at AS and A2. It charts the political, commercial, and cultural relationship between India and Britain during this time, detailing how this shifted as a result of the two world wars. There are also chapters covering the rise of nationalism in India and the path to independence. ... Read more


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