India before Europe [Paperback]

Catherine B. Asher (Author), Cynthia Talbot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0521005396 | ISBN-13: 978-0521005395 | Edition: 1

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 ever the case, and at no time more so than in the India that existed from 1200 to 1750, before the European intervention. This beautifully illustrated book takes the reader on a journey across the political, religious and cultural landscapes of medieval India. It is fluently composed, with a cast of characters that will educate students and general readers alike.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"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

Book Description

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 ever the case, and at no time more so than in the India that existed from 1200 to 1750, before the European intervention. This beautifully illustrated book takes the reader on a journey across the political, religious and cultural landscapes of medieval India. It is fluently composed, with a cast of characters which will educate students and general readers alike.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (April 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521005396
• ISBN-13: 978-0521005395
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars India 1200-1750, April 1, 2007

By 

César González Rouco (Madrid, Madrid Spain) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: India before Europe (Paperback)

It must be pointed out that books on India History seem to be rather scarce if compared to other civilizations (such as China, Islam or Europe). So when I found this book I decide it to give it a chance, in despite of not finding previous comments on it.

I have the impression that Asher and Talbot want to cover its subject with a new approach, and for that they blend the following matters in a peculiar way: (i) politics, (ii) architecture as a tool for power to display and claim legitimacy (they spent many interesting pages describing mosques, palaces, temples, shrines and so on); (iii) court and elite culture. If compared to other more common explanation schemes, economics are treated succinctly. No data on the way the common folk lived are provided. Besides, the authors stress that presenting Islam and Hinduism as confronted realities would be an anachronic simplification laden with present-day political views.

All that (and much more that I do not mention in this summary) is developed in 300 pages, the book being divided in the following chapters: 1.- Introduction: situating India. 2.- The expansion of Turkic 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 (no footnotes are include in the text).

The book is no very engaging, but it is not dry either. It can be savoured by the professional historian, and, perhaps, by the educated layperson too. Therefore, my rate is between 5 (content) and 3 (pleasure, sometimes falling to 2, sometimes raising to 4).

Other book that I would recommend to read would be "Gem in the Lotus: The Seeding of Indian Civilisation" by Abraham Eraly. "Al-Hind" by Andre Wink (an intended work in five volumes, three of which have already been published) also seems interesting (although I have not read it yet).And, above all, I would reccomend "The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies" by Thomas McEvilley.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gives you a new perspective on Hindu-Muslim relations in India, December 11, 2010

By 

Fay89 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: India before Europe (Hardcover)

People interested in Hindu-Muslim relations in India should read this book if they want to know what it was really like in the past instead of listening to self-interested politicians/activists/religious groups etc.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely, July 17, 2007

By 

Philip Leetch - See all my reviews
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This review is from: India before Europe (Paperback)

This is an excellent book of lucid essays that helps orient one to Indian history. Splendid on political history, art and religion.I greatly enjoyed reading it.