South Asia in world history / Marc Jason Gilbert.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gilbert, Marc Jason, author.

Series:

New Oxford world history

The new Oxford world history

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

South Asia--History.

South Asia.

History.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xv, 186 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2017]

Summary:

Few regions have shaped the world's history as deeply as South Asia. Home to three of the world's major religions-Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism-the Indian subcontinent has made disparate and indelible contributions to the world, from curry to granulated sugar, from the performance of meditation and yoga to the famed Sanskrit guide to love, the Kama Sutra, from the architectural magnificence of the Taj Mahal to the binary system of numbers. In this accessible book, Marc Jason Gilbert takes us on a journey through South Asia's fascinating and diverse history starting from the blossoming of the Harappan civilization in the fertile Indus valley eight thousand years ago and the alleged arrival of the Indo-European nomads along the Indian shores. Following the routes of the cotton, tea, and opium trade that connected the West and the East throughout history, Gilbert describes the Mongol invasions, the splendors of the Mughal Empire, the expansion of the British colonial dominion, and the development of South Asian modern nations in the twentieth century-Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, and Myanmar. The book concludes with a timely reflection on the contradictory face of contemporary South Asia. Although the region has produced some of the world's most iconic leaders of non-violent protest-Mahatma Gandhi, Arundhati Roy, Mother Teresa, and Aung San Suu Kyi-deep social injustice has continued to oppress most South Asian countries. Simultaneously, extraordinary economic growth is deeply transforming South Asian societies and may enable them to rival the United States and China as the world's largest economies. Gilbert's transnational perspective illuminates how world historical processes-from changes in the environment to the movement of peoples and ideas-have shaped and continue to shape the history of South Asia and its place in the wider world. Book jacket.

Contents:

South Asia and the world to 1500 BCE

The Vedic Age, 1500 to 500 BCE

South Asia's classical age, 321 BCE-711 CE

Islam in South Asia, 711-1556

The great Mughals, 1556-1757

From company state to crown rule, 1757-1877

Toward freedom, 1877-1947

South Asia and the world, 1947 to the present.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780199760343

0199760349

9780195176537

0195176537

OCLC:

961409920