India before Europe
India before Europe
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 especially the case in the India that existed from 1200 to 1750, before the European intervention. The book takes the reader on a journey across the political, economic, religious and cultural landscapes of medieval India, from the Ghurid conquests and the Dehli Sultanate to the great court of the Mughals. This was a time of conquest and consolidation, when Muslims and Hindus came together to create a unique culture which still resonates in today's India. As the first survey of its kind in over a decade, the book is a tour de force. It is beautifully illustrated and fluently composed, with a cast of characters which will educate students and general readers alike.
- Covers a critical period of modern India's formation from 1200 to 1750
- Written in an accessible and engaging manner, the book is ideally suited for general readers and students seeking an overview of South Asia
- With numerous features including: photographs of monuments, paintings, and artefacts, glossary of Indian terms, list of biographies of prominent people, and over ten maps
Reviews & endorsements
"India Before Europe" is not only up to date and deeply erudite, but it also presents a highly engaging narrative: thoughtful, accessible, and perfectly balanced between the 'forest' and the 'trees'. Asher and Talbot are acknowledged authorities in the field of medieval India, and their differing areas of expertise complement one another beautifully. The text moves seamlessly from discussions of political structure and social-economic history, to consideration of large scale cultural processes and the physical realis of architecture, painting, and textiles. There is simply no other work like it, and it will be eagerly welcomed by students and specialists alike."-Phillip B. Wagoner, Wesleyan University
"An insightful and authoritative history of what the authors term 'the rich composite culture of South Asia...which started to come into being after 1200 and fully matured during the Mughal era.'" - John E. Court, Religious Studies Review
"Asher and Talbot's survey is distinguished by its original engagement with the artistic styles and architectural achievements of different royal courts and dynasties...India before Europe constructs an intriguing picture of the composite synergy of Islamic and Indic tradition"
Emilian Kavalski, Canadian Journal of History
Product details
April 2006Hardback
9780521809047
336 pages
235 × 157 × 24 mm
0.657kg
73 b/w illus. 11 maps
Temporarily unavailable - available from TBC
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Glossary
- 1. Introduction: situating India
- 2. The expansion of Turkish 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.
