Soundings in modern South Asian history

Abstract

In recent years the study of modern South Asian history has been extended beyond the range of older accounts of British administration and the growth of the Indian nationalist movement. This book is the first fruit of the close co-operation between a group of young scholars who worked together at the Australian National University in Canberra. A wide range of topics is dealt with, and the nature of the contributions typifies the new attitude to the history of South Asia. Throughout the book the effort is constantly made to explore the implications of social structures and social values in relation to historical events. Included are several case studies on social change during the last century and a half, in which special attention is paid to regional aspects of historical development. There are also essays on whole societies, on caste groups, on elites and on individuals, in each of which the role of social structures and social values is explored. The potentialities of these enormously varied lines of research are made abundantly clear. Individual chapters, complete in themselves, bear witness to the value of detailed research. Together they provide a model for the current phase of research into modern South Asian history.