A History of the New India: Past and Present

Providing a different approach to the history of India than previously advocated, this textbook argues that there was a constant interaction between peoples and cultures. This interactive, dialogic approach provides a clear understanding of how power and social relations operated in South Asia. Covering the history of India from Mughal times to the first years of independence, the book consists of chapters divided roughly between political and thematic questions. Topics discussed include:

• Mughal warfare and military developments
• The construction of Indian culture
• Indian, regional and local political articulation
• India’s Independence and the end of British Rule
• The growth of the Hindu Right
• The dispute over Kashmir

As well as a detailed timeline that provides a useful overview to key events in the history of India, a set of background reading is included after each chapter for readers who wish to go beyond the remit of this text. Written in an accessible, narrative style, the textbook will be suitable in courses on Indian and South Asian History, as well as courses on World History and South Asian Studies.