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'Lucid, comprehensive and up-to-date, this book will surely establish itself as essential reading for all undergraduate and graduate courses on South Asian history.' C. A. Bayly, Vere Harmsworth Professor of Imperial and Naval History, University of Cambridge
'The almost impossible task of writing a concise history of the subcontinent covering a period of four centuries is achieved by the Professors Metcalf … This is a great introduction to the subject and the authors are to be congratulated on a most interesting book.' Open History
'[The authors'] account of the early Islamic state and popular misconceptions about religious conversion is so persuasively written that these few introductory pages could serve as an excellent model for secular history writing and should be circulated widely.' The Hindu
'The almost impossible task of writing a concise history of the subcontinent covering a period of four centuries is achieved by the Professors Metcalf … This is a great introduction to the subject and the authors are to be congratulated on a most interesting book.' Open History
'[The authors'] account of the early Islamic state and popular misconceptions about religious conversion is so persuasively written that these few introductory pages could serve as an excellent model for secular history writing and should be circulated widely.' The Hindu
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In a second edition of their successful Concise History of Modern India, Barbara Metcalf and Thomas Metcalf explore India's modern history afresh and update the events of the last decade. These include the takeover of Congress from the seemingly entrenched Hindu nationalist party in 2004, India's huge advances in technology and the country's new role as a major player in world affairs. From the days of the Mughals, through the British Empire, and into Independence, the country has been transformed by its institutional structures. It is these institutions which have helped bring about the social, cultural and economic changes that have taken place over the last half century and paved the way for the modern success story. Despite these advances, poverty, social inequality and religious division still fester. In response to these dilemmas, the book grapples with questions of caste and religious identity, and the nature of the Indian nation.
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2 reviews
42 of 51 people found the following review helpful
History conceived as medicine for Western imperialists and Hindus
1 May 2008
Format:Paperback
As a relative newcomer to the history of India, I found this a decent introduction to the issues and approaches to them that have shaped modern Indian political life. The two central themes that emerge are first, the nature of colonial rule (under Britain, of course--the term is never used of Muslim masters, nor is "imperialism") and the process of separation from it, and second, the problems involved in intercommunal and inter-caste relationships in the context of subsequent Indian democracy.
I had been looking in particular for a sense of how the conversation between Muslims and Hindus about India's past goes, if a "conversation" can be said to exist on the subject: how do Muslims justify their period(s) of rule to their former subjects? How do Hindus as Hindus make sense of their past as subjects of Muslim rule? The extreme positions on both sides are easily discovered, but these extremes don't really meet in conversation.
I was disappointed, though, in this respect: the Metcalfs do not so much convey a sense of the course of this conversation as take one side of it. It is as though they conceive of their history as a kind of therapy against Hindu distrust of Islam: in this treatment, Islam changed nothing, was never involved as an actor, was never alien to India, an influence from "outside." The problems begin only when the Brits and later, Hindus, attempt to conceptualize the communal structure of the subcontinent in too-rigid terms. Mughals and other Muslim dynasties never, apparently, tried to conceptualize anything (let alone by means of Islamic categories!), or if they did, kept their categories loose and supple (well-known characteristics of Islamic thought, of course), for no ill effects are shown to follow, for anybody except, perhaps, for a few rival Hindu dynasties, from centuries of Muslim rule.
But those hapless Brits! The book contains page after page of English terms hugged by ironic scare quotes--sad results of pathetic colonial attempts to make sense of religious and political characteristics of India. Again, the authors' ironic knowingness is directed only at British and Hindu efforts to comprehend and manipulate, never at Muslim ones.
In the end, one feels rather manipulated oneself.
I had been looking in particular for a sense of how the conversation between Muslims and Hindus about India's past goes, if a "conversation" can be said to exist on the subject: how do Muslims justify their period(s) of rule to their former subjects? How do Hindus as Hindus make sense of their past as subjects of Muslim rule? The extreme positions on both sides are easily discovered, but these extremes don't really meet in conversation.
I was disappointed, though, in this respect: the Metcalfs do not so much convey a sense of the course of this conversation as take one side of it. It is as though they conceive of their history as a kind of therapy against Hindu distrust of Islam: in this treatment, Islam changed nothing, was never involved as an actor, was never alien to India, an influence from "outside." The problems begin only when the Brits and later, Hindus, attempt to conceptualize the communal structure of the subcontinent in too-rigid terms. Mughals and other Muslim dynasties never, apparently, tried to conceptualize anything (let alone by means of Islamic categories!), or if they did, kept their categories loose and supple (well-known characteristics of Islamic thought, of course), for no ill effects are shown to follow, for anybody except, perhaps, for a few rival Hindu dynasties, from centuries of Muslim rule.
But those hapless Brits! The book contains page after page of English terms hugged by ironic scare quotes--sad results of pathetic colonial attempts to make sense of religious and political characteristics of India. Again, the authors' ironic knowingness is directed only at British and Hindu efforts to comprehend and manipulate, never at Muslim ones.
In the end, one feels rather manipulated oneself.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
academic tone, unique insights
18 Feb 2012
Format:Paperback
Read it on a recent trip to India, it's extremely well-written and surprisingly engaging. The authors depict India's history from an academic perspective and put events in a global context, enabling the reader to understand the nation and its current sociopolitical environment.
There are some biases that I assume arise from the the authors being Western academics, but I can't say I disagreed too often. Overall, it gave me a different perspective from what I am used to hearing from my family and Indian peers. As an Indian raised partly in India and then mostly around Indians in the US, I always wondered, "If our nation is so great, why are we one of the worst off third world countries out there? Why are there such disparities? Why is there so much corruption?" Was it entirely because of British rule and Imperialism? Or was it due to the nepotism and corruption of leaders who have taken advantage of the populace over the past half century? Or, worst of all, was it merely the bickering among a people who might have otherwise united to overcome their struggles, both within their country and against imperialism?
Ultimately, I came out with new ideas - though not complete theories - on how each of those is true to an extent and why. However, this book is far from comprehensive and I only took it as an addendum to what I had already learned and what I will eventually learn and observe on my own. I am very glad I read it, and I will probably re-read it when the next edition comes out.
There are some biases that I assume arise from the the authors being Western academics, but I can't say I disagreed too often. Overall, it gave me a different perspective from what I am used to hearing from my family and Indian peers. As an Indian raised partly in India and then mostly around Indians in the US, I always wondered, "If our nation is so great, why are we one of the worst off third world countries out there? Why are there such disparities? Why is there so much corruption?" Was it entirely because of British rule and Imperialism? Or was it due to the nepotism and corruption of leaders who have taken advantage of the populace over the past half century? Or, worst of all, was it merely the bickering among a people who might have otherwise united to overcome their struggles, both within their country and against imperialism?
Ultimately, I came out with new ideas - though not complete theories - on how each of those is true to an extent and why. However, this book is far from comprehensive and I only took it as an addendum to what I had already learned and what I will eventually learn and observe on my own. I am very glad I read it, and I will probably re-read it when the next edition comes out.
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