Pub Date : 2018-01-01DOI: 10.1177/2230807517726408
Benjamin Krakauer
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Pub Date : 2017-07-01DOI: 10.1177/2230807516686430
H. Patel
Another tale reveals the widening chasm between the different life-worlds (p. 156). A Jesuit priest in mid-nineteenth-century Karnataka listened to a Jain monk’s discourse on non-violence and vegetarianism. In the evening when food arrived, he took out a crude microscope and stained a little yoghurt that was being served. Seeing the microbes for the first time, the Jain monk could not eat any more. Mirza Ghalib took to verses to extol the steam power of the colonial rulers, how they rule the waves and get news from thousands of miles in a couple of breaths (p. 160). The concluding chapter traces the contemporary history of the country. The author ponders as to whether we are in a post-Darwinian age of ‘survival of the richest’ or some kind of reverse Darwinism that promotes the ‘survival of the idiots’ (p. 193). Yet he is hopeful about the inner resilience of people who withstood the vicissitudes of partition, emergency, wars and internal strife and still repose faith in the democratic tradition. This book is a well-argued scholarly work which one can enjoy at leisure, full of humorous insights about our Trishanku existence. Hailing from a mofussil background, the author had to struggle to gain proficiency in English. Maybe keeping his own experiences in mind, he has used very simple yet elegant prose which would be understood even by a layman. One only wishes that the author should have analysed the changing ethos in the country, especially since the past 2 years. There are passing references to civil society groups who have outlined an alternative agenda for the nation which needs to be explained at length particularly in a scenario where the state is curtailing the rights of the citizens. Many a time, the author uses ideas which tease the reader’s imagination but does not elaborate; for example, setting up of Special Academic Zones (SAZs, p. 45). However, the book would be of immense use to any student who wishes to understand the changing contours of our society. Shailaja Menon Assistant Professor in History School of Liberal Studies Ambedkar University Delhi, India E-mail: shailaja@aud.ac.in
{"title":"Hilal Ahmed, Muslim Political Discourse in Postcolonial India: Monuments, Memory, Contestation.","authors":"H. Patel","doi":"10.1177/2230807516686430","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2230807516686430","url":null,"abstract":"Another tale reveals the widening chasm between the different life-worlds (p. 156). A Jesuit priest in mid-nineteenth-century Karnataka listened to a Jain monk’s discourse on non-violence and vegetarianism. In the evening when food arrived, he took out a crude microscope and stained a little yoghurt that was being served. Seeing the microbes for the first time, the Jain monk could not eat any more. Mirza Ghalib took to verses to extol the steam power of the colonial rulers, how they rule the waves and get news from thousands of miles in a couple of breaths (p. 160). The concluding chapter traces the contemporary history of the country. The author ponders as to whether we are in a post-Darwinian age of ‘survival of the richest’ or some kind of reverse Darwinism that promotes the ‘survival of the idiots’ (p. 193). Yet he is hopeful about the inner resilience of people who withstood the vicissitudes of partition, emergency, wars and internal strife and still repose faith in the democratic tradition. This book is a well-argued scholarly work which one can enjoy at leisure, full of humorous insights about our Trishanku existence. Hailing from a mofussil background, the author had to struggle to gain proficiency in English. Maybe keeping his own experiences in mind, he has used very simple yet elegant prose which would be understood even by a layman. One only wishes that the author should have analysed the changing ethos in the country, especially since the past 2 years. There are passing references to civil society groups who have outlined an alternative agenda for the nation which needs to be explained at length particularly in a scenario where the state is curtailing the rights of the citizens. Many a time, the author uses ideas which tease the reader’s imagination but does not elaborate; for example, setting up of Special Academic Zones (SAZs, p. 45). However, the book would be of immense use to any student who wishes to understand the changing contours of our society. Shailaja Menon Assistant Professor in History School of Liberal Studies Ambedkar University Delhi, India E-mail: shailaja@aud.ac.in","PeriodicalId":41287,"journal":{"name":"History and Sociology of South Asia","volume":"11 1","pages":"226 - 229"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2230807516686430","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46506017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-07-01DOI: 10.1177/2230807517718308
S. Gundimeda
Abstract The unholy nexus between media houses and politics is a well-known sad reality. Such nexus is further complicated by the involvement of caste. The present essay examines the trajectory of Eenadu, a Telugu daily in Andhra Pradesh, and its political manoeuvrings in favour of the Kamma-dominated Telugu Desam Party. Describing the entry of Eenadu, the essay moves to examine the newspaper’s consistent support of the TDP and its stance against the Congress in AP through the political fortunes for N.T. Ramarao, Chandrababu Naidu and Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
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Pub Date : 2017-07-01DOI: 10.1177/2230807516686429
Deepak Kumar
{"title":"Indira Chowdhury, Growing the Tree of Science: Homi Bhabha and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research","authors":"Deepak Kumar","doi":"10.1177/2230807516686429","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2230807516686429","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":41287,"journal":{"name":"History and Sociology of South Asia","volume":"11 1","pages":"221 - 223"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2230807516686429","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41397488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-07-01DOI: 10.1177/2230807517705521
L. Subramanian
{"title":"Pius Malekandathil (ed.), The Indian Ocean in the Making of Early Modern India","authors":"L. Subramanian","doi":"10.1177/2230807517705521","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2230807517705521","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":41287,"journal":{"name":"History and Sociology of South Asia","volume":"11 1","pages":"233 - 235"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2230807517705521","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45088993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-07-01DOI: 10.1177/2230807516688504
S. Rana
The second interesting detail is that the Babri Masjid issue was not allowed to be treated as a local issue as the mosque was a Muslim Wakf property and symbolically linked to the entire Muslim community. Ahmed mentions that ‘... from 1949 to 1984, the local as well as national level Muslim politicians continued to ignore the Babri Masjid case and it was never highlighted as a Muslim issue.’ Even Abdullah Bukhari did not mention it in 1977 during the election campaign of Faizabad. It has been said that while dealing with the history of communal divide in postcolonial India, the academicians have tried to focus on the government and the Hindu communal forces as two factors. Ahmed has brought the third factor in this whole discussion. He is very honest and sincere in handling his evidence. His only problem is that he had to talk about ‘Muslim politics’, and when using Hindu or Muslim politics, one has to speak in a language which does not permit the writer to see the community in a plural sense, even if he wants. He has tried to use terms such as ‘the dominant Muslim narrative’, but, overall, he has not been able to underline the fact that the Muslim is not a political community. This book is a very important work not only for what it says but also because how it struggles to come out of the Muslim homogeneity perspective. One can read it not only to know how Muslim political elites have been quite significant in the story of communal contestations over Indo-Islamic sites but also to realise how little we know about the Muslim political elite politics. Also, one can realise how difficult it is to deal with this subject without being trapped into a closed debate of secular and communal. Hilal Ahmed has given us much to think about. His approach and findings are not likely to please either secular or communal camps. But this should be seen as the strength of the book. For all those who still have faith in sincere academic work, going through this important work should be a rewarding experience.
{"title":"Kaushik Roy, War and Society in Afghanistan: From the Mughals to the Americans, 1500–2013","authors":"S. Rana","doi":"10.1177/2230807516688504","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2230807516688504","url":null,"abstract":"The second interesting detail is that the Babri Masjid issue was not allowed to be treated as a local issue as the mosque was a Muslim Wakf property and symbolically linked to the entire Muslim community. Ahmed mentions that ‘... from 1949 to 1984, the local as well as national level Muslim politicians continued to ignore the Babri Masjid case and it was never highlighted as a Muslim issue.’ Even Abdullah Bukhari did not mention it in 1977 during the election campaign of Faizabad. It has been said that while dealing with the history of communal divide in postcolonial India, the academicians have tried to focus on the government and the Hindu communal forces as two factors. Ahmed has brought the third factor in this whole discussion. He is very honest and sincere in handling his evidence. His only problem is that he had to talk about ‘Muslim politics’, and when using Hindu or Muslim politics, one has to speak in a language which does not permit the writer to see the community in a plural sense, even if he wants. He has tried to use terms such as ‘the dominant Muslim narrative’, but, overall, he has not been able to underline the fact that the Muslim is not a political community. This book is a very important work not only for what it says but also because how it struggles to come out of the Muslim homogeneity perspective. One can read it not only to know how Muslim political elites have been quite significant in the story of communal contestations over Indo-Islamic sites but also to realise how little we know about the Muslim political elite politics. Also, one can realise how difficult it is to deal with this subject without being trapped into a closed debate of secular and communal. Hilal Ahmed has given us much to think about. His approach and findings are not likely to please either secular or communal camps. But this should be seen as the strength of the book. For all those who still have faith in sincere academic work, going through this important work should be a rewarding experience.","PeriodicalId":41287,"journal":{"name":"History and Sociology of South Asia","volume":"11 1","pages":"229 - 233"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2230807516688504","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47941650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-07-01DOI: 10.1177/2230807517703721
Mubashar Hasan
Abstract This article traces the formation of the secular in Bangladesh during the period of 1947–71. Arguably, this is a period when the idea of a ‘secular Bengali nation’ as opposed to ‘Islamic Pakistani nationalism’ was coined in by the political forces to foster imagination of a Bengali root of East Pakistan. This article argues with multiple evidence that particular project of secular Bengali nationalism in the sense of strict separation of religion and politics as opposed to religious nationalism makes little sense in contemporary Bangladesh as major parties here are found to manipulate religious nationalism in a society where simplistic and unenlightened interpretation of religion plays a significant role. This article argues that the idea of secular nationalism had multiple meanings and roots during 1947–71 and by acknowledging diverse roots of secular nationalism, it is possible to make sense of contemporary Bangladesh that is by all secular indicators turned into an intolerant entity but at the same time it is equally important to note that Bangladesh's intolerance is devoid of enlightened application and teaching of Islam.
{"title":"The Diverse Roots of the ‘Secular’ in East Pakistan (1947–71) and the Crisis of ‘Secularism’ in Contemporary Bangladesh","authors":"Mubashar Hasan","doi":"10.1177/2230807517703721","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2230807517703721","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This article traces the formation of the secular in Bangladesh during the period of 1947–71. Arguably, this is a period when the idea of a ‘secular Bengali nation’ as opposed to ‘Islamic Pakistani nationalism’ was coined in by the political forces to foster imagination of a Bengali root of East Pakistan. This article argues with multiple evidence that particular project of secular Bengali nationalism in the sense of strict separation of religion and politics as opposed to religious nationalism makes little sense in contemporary Bangladesh as major parties here are found to manipulate religious nationalism in a society where simplistic and unenlightened interpretation of religion plays a significant role. This article argues that the idea of secular nationalism had multiple meanings and roots during 1947–71 and by acknowledging diverse roots of secular nationalism, it is possible to make sense of contemporary Bangladesh that is by all secular indicators turned into an intolerant entity but at the same time it is equally important to note that Bangladesh's intolerance is devoid of enlightened application and teaching of Islam.","PeriodicalId":41287,"journal":{"name":"History and Sociology of South Asia","volume":"11 1","pages":"156 - 173"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2230807517703721","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47537238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-07-01DOI: 10.1177/2230807517701863
{"title":"HSSA Reviewers, Volumes 10 and 11","authors":"","doi":"10.1177/2230807517701863","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2230807517701863","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":41287,"journal":{"name":"History and Sociology of South Asia","volume":"11 1","pages":"236 - 237"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2230807517701863","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43969305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-07-01DOI: 10.1177/2230807516686431
S. Menon
{"title":"Deepak Kumar, The Trishanku Nation: Memory, Self, and Society in Contemporary India","authors":"S. Menon","doi":"10.1177/2230807516686431","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2230807516686431","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":41287,"journal":{"name":"History and Sociology of South Asia","volume":"11 1","pages":"223 - 226"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2230807516686431","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44810460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2017-07-01DOI: 10.1177/2230807517701572
C. Sengoopta
Abstract Using the example of Upendrakishore Ray (1863–1915), a well-known Bengali artist, writer, technologist and publisher, this essay critiques prevalent theories that portray colonial Indian modernity as a largely derivative discourse. Addressing Ray’s globally recognised contributions to the refinement of technologies for the printing of photographs and paintings, the article shows how Ray’s relative lack of resources could not obstruct his innovative approach and investigates why, in spite of his originality, his Western recognition was no more than transient. Turning then to Ray’s views on pictorial art, the essay shows how in this area, he merely followed the precepts of western ‘academic’ art and failed to attain any originality. Indian engagements with modernity, the essay concludes, were neither exclusively original nor invariably imitative, and we need new theoretical approaches that can accommodate this diversity and unpredictability.
{"title":"Between Emulation and Innovation: Upendrakishore Ray and the Ambiguities of Colonial Modernity","authors":"C. Sengoopta","doi":"10.1177/2230807517701572","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2230807517701572","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Using the example of Upendrakishore Ray (1863–1915), a well-known Bengali artist, writer, technologist and publisher, this essay critiques prevalent theories that portray colonial Indian modernity as a largely derivative discourse. Addressing Ray’s globally recognised contributions to the refinement of technologies for the printing of photographs and paintings, the article shows how Ray’s relative lack of resources could not obstruct his innovative approach and investigates why, in spite of his originality, his Western recognition was no more than transient. Turning then to Ray’s views on pictorial art, the essay shows how in this area, he merely followed the precepts of western ‘academic’ art and failed to attain any originality. Indian engagements with modernity, the essay concludes, were neither exclusively original nor invariably imitative, and we need new theoretical approaches that can accommodate this diversity and unpredictability.","PeriodicalId":41287,"journal":{"name":"History and Sociology of South Asia","volume":"11 1","pages":"100 - 83"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2017-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2230807517701572","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45283703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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