India, 4th Edition

by Stanley Wolpert

Overview

This new edition brings Stanley Wolpert's brilliantly succinct and accessible introduction to India completely up to date for a new generation of readers, travelers, and students. In crisp detail, Wolpert gives a panoramic overview of the continent on which the world's most fascinating ancient civilization gave birth to one of its most complex modern democratic nations. India now includes new sections on the country's current global economic development, the recent national elections, and on its international relations, including those with Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka, and the United States, India's new strategic global partner.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520343160
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	11/15/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	264
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

Stanley Wolpert is the author of fourteen books, including A New History of India, now in its eighth edition, and Gandhi's Passion: The Life and Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. He has taught the history of India and Pakistan at the University of California, Los Angeles, since 1958.

Table of Contents

Preface to the 2009 Edition

1. The Environment
The River
Heat
Monsoon Rains
Mountain Walls

2. Historical Prologue
Pre-Aryan Urbanization
Aryan Conquests and Emerging Synthesis
Ancient Imperial Unification and Its Limits
Islamic Conquests
Westernization and Modernization
Young India's Revolutions and Reforms
The Impact of Mahatma Gandhi

3. Religion and Philosophy
Yoga and Shaivism
Mother Goddess Worship
Nonviolent Buddhism and Jainism
Laws of Action and Reincarnation
Devotional Vaishnavism
Higher Hindu Philosophy
Islam in India
Sikhism
Modernist Religious Movements

4. Society
Caste and Class
Untouchability
The Family
Roles of Women
Village Life
The Urban Revolution

5. Arts and Sciences
Dance, Drama, and Music
Worship in Bronze and Stone
Caves, Temple and Regal Art, and Architecture
The Art of Literature
Scientific Contributions

6. Polity and Foreign Policy
Kingship and Democracy
Economic Planning and Development

Foreign Policy
Indo-U.S. Relations
Indo-Pak Relations
Sino-Indian Relations
Indo-Sri Lankan Relations
Afghanistan

The Future

Notes

Suggested Additional Reading

Index

What People are Saying About This

“Wolpert is a masterful storyteller. . . . The work reflects [his] wisdom and global vision.”

Journal of Contemporary Asia

“Wolpert is a masterful storyteller. . . . The work reflects [his] wisdom and global vision.”

Editorial Reviews

If one were to read a single book about India in a lifetime, this should be it. India is a grand, sweeping synthesis of Indian civilization embracing its geography, religions, history, and arts and sciences. Using the Ganges River as a thematic symbol for India's timeless civilization, Wolpert threads his way from the Indus Valley to British rule, through the interplay of Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh faiths, to the governments of Nehru and Indira Gandhi. Although academics may quibble over his harsh evaluation of the British Raj or his uncritical treatment of Indira Gandhi's Emergency, Wolpert demonstrates a grasp of those eternal paradoxes of Indian civilization: hunger amongst plenty, gentleness amidst violence, and stability within change. Wolpert's sympathetic and sensitive account of the ancient Sanskrit classics and Indian music, painting, and sculpture embraces the mystery and imagination of a life unknown in the West. Representative of a lifetime of learning, this ranks at the top of its genre for its vision, knowledge, and superb prose. History Book Club selection.-- John F. Riddick, Central Michigan Univ. Lib., Mt. Pleasant

Library Journal

“Wolpert is a masterful storyteller. . . . The work reflects [his] wisdom and global vision.

Journal Of Contemporary Asia - Pamela Lothspeich

"Wolpert is a masterful storyteller. . . . The work reflects [his] wisdom and global vision."--Journal of Contemporary Asia

From the Publisher