Jointly written by two leading Indian and Pakistani historians, Modern South Asia offers a rare depth of historical understanding of the politics, cultures and economies that shape the lives of more than a fifth of humanity. After sketching the pre-modern history of the sub-continent, the book concentrates on the last three centuries.This new second edition has been updated throughout to take account of recent historical research. It includes an expanded section on post-independence with a completely new chapter on the period from 1991 to the present and a chapter on the last millennium in subcontinental history. There is a new chronology of key events.
Ayesha Jalal Books
Ayesha Jalal is a Pakistani-American historian whose work critically examines post-colonial politics and Muslim identity in South Asia. She challenges the necessity of the partition of India and Pakistan, reframing it as a human tragedy rather than a political inevitability. Her scholarship presents key figures as pragmatists motivated by securing greater rights for Muslims. Jalal's research delves into the complex historical forces that shape identity and political landscapes.
Muslim Enlightened Thought in South Asia
- 320 pages
- 12 hours of reading
Exploring the enlightened perspectives of modern Muslim philosophers, artists, and intellectuals, this book highlights their connections to a rich intellectual tradition that transcends Western liberalism. It delves into the historical context of Islam and South Asia, making it a compelling read for those interested in the evolution of thought within these cultures. The work emphasizes the unique contributions of these figures to contemporary discourse, offering insights into their impact on society and intellectual history.
Established as a homeland for India’s Muslims in 1947, Pakistan has had a tumultuous history. Beset by assassinations, coups, ethnic strife, and the breakaway of Bangladesh in 1971, the country has found itself too often contending with religious extremism and military authoritarianism. Now, in a probing biography of her native land amid the throes of global change, Ayesha Jalal provides an insider’s assessment of how this nuclear-armed Muslim nation evolved as it did and explains why its dilemmas weigh so heavily on prospects for peace in the region. “[An] important book...Ayesha Jalal has been one of the first and most reliable [Pakistani] political historians [on Pakistan]...The Struggle for Pakistan [is] her most accessible work to date...She is especially telling when she points to the lack of serious academic or political debate in Pakistan about the role of the military.” —Ahmed Rashid, New York Review of Books “[Jalal] shows that Pakistan never went off the rails; it was, moreover, never a democracy in any meaningful sense. For its entire history, a military caste and its supporters in the ruling class have formed an ‘establishment’ that defined their narrow interests as the nation’s.” —Isaac Chotiner, Wall Street Journal