History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Code Name God: The Spiritual Odyssey of a Man of Science

Average customer rating:

East + West = "God"
Good thing I'm familiar with these physics topics
We Are One
A Must-Read for Inquiring Minds
EXCEPTIONAL

Code Name God: The Spiritual Odyssey of a Man of Science
Mani Bhaumik
Manufacturer: Crossroad
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0824522818

Book Description

Bhaumik offers us his remarkable rags to riches story, his understanding of the true nature of science, and his vision of spirituality as that which gives meaning to our lives.

Customer Reviews:

East + West = "God".......2007-09-13

We live today in a world so divided by disparate religious ideas that there is a very real possibility that we as humans won't survive these differences.

The spectrum of this divde is great and varied. Extreme Christian fundamentalists longing for a biblical Armageddon promote political choices that could bring on an ultimate nuclear holocaust. More moderate Christians eschew science in favor of a literal reading of the Bible and turn a blind eye to scientific "theories" as varied as global warming, the evolution of our species or the age of the universe.

Extreme Islamic fundamentalists scoff at earthly political goals altogether and wish only to live in a world governed entirely by the Koran. Unfortunately, like the Judeo/Christian Bible, interpretation of these sacred scriptures is subject to whoever perceives that he/she has been selected by his or her god to do so. This has resulted, in many instances, in the wide-scale destruction of people by those convinced by these chosen spokesmen that they will achieve heavenly rewards by their own and their victims' deaths.

Obviously, examples like these can be found everywhere in the world and in many other religions as well.

In a fervent desire to get beyond religious misconceptions of basic spiritual concepts, many thoughtful people have followed one of two divergent philosophical paths of inquiry concerning the universe and our place in it.

Science and spirituality (as opposed to religion) both seek the answers to this most fundamental question. While never quite at physical odds with each other, proponents look askance at each other for the others' naive understandings of reality. Yet a few individuals in both camps have been able to take a "quantum leap" of understanding and realize that science and spirituality should not just "agree to disagree".

For some scientists, David Bohm, Rupert Sheldrake, Karl Pribram and others, the deeper science goes towards discovering the most fundamental nature of Matter and Energy, the more the paths of science and spirituality merge into one.

On the spiritual side, a person such as the Dalai Lama honors the discoveries being made by science; to the extent that he says that if science proves a concept that is counter to his own Buddhist tradition, then the Buddhist idea must succumb to science! Truly a remarkable statement in view of most religious orthodoxies.

Mani Bhaumik is one of these "leapers", whose early life happened to be suffused in mystical Hindu traditions. Yet, the talents for science and mathematics he displayed at a young age allowed him to escape the poverty and ignorance epidemic in his community.

Finding his way to the West and his subsequent invention of the Exemer Laser (known commercially as Lasek) culminated in his enjoying a fabled lifestyle of the rich and famous; coincidentally the name of a popular television show of the day in which he displayed his wealth. His Hollywood star-studded life of parties and luxury in Beverly Hills is the stuff of dreams.

But somewhere along the way, the dream ended. Like many others throughout history, he finally had to ask himself, is this all there is?

Even while climbing the ladder of success, however, he never forgot the ground below from where he began. His political and spiritual grounding as an acquaintance of the "living saint" Mahatma Ghandi (in the political struggle for independence by the Indians against Great Britain) demonstrated to him how true spirituality can be manifested in the everyday world.

Throughout his early life in America he used his practice of Hindu meditation as primarily a method of remaining calm and centered in the high-flying academic and business worlds he was increasingly a part of.

But when he began to ask whether "this is all there is", he wanted to explore the deeper realms of reality found through mediation; those spoken of in the Gitas, the sacred writings of his religious tradition.

As a man with one foot in Western science and one foot in mystical Hinduism, he came to realize that it was perhaps his dharma to create a bridge between the two.

The result is the narrative of a wonderful, poetic journey through his own life before he begins the even more fantastic journey into the realms of quantum theory and sublime mystical states.

In the process, he does a truly amazing thing. He makes the underlying scientific field of all physical reality--which is, in fact, non-reality--move so closely towards the highest mystical states that it makes the a non-belief in "god" the most non-rational and least plausible conclusion one could make for a human being.

As a formerly agnostic seeker of knowledge, I've spent the past few years, trying to reconcile the remarkable scientific discoveries of DNA, quantum theory and consciousness with the fantastic realms of mind explored and written about by mystics, shamans, artists, users of entheogenic plants and others throughout the ages.

Mani Bhaumik's journey is a wonderful stepping stone on our own journey through a life that offers so many unanswerable questions. I've found that the most wonderful thing about our journey is that once a stepping stone is reached, another one appears almost magically.

And it's only one step away.

Good thing I'm familiar with these physics topics.......2007-07-13

I think this book is wonderful approach to the science of God's existence. If you've ever seen the "Elegant Universe" (I think it is called) on PBS where they delve into String Theory and explain quantum physics to the layman, this book is a perfect follow-up. I think that because I had seen this show, I absorbed much of the physics he presented very quickly. I remember stopping at one point and thinking, "this is some scientific stuff."

Even if you've never heard of String Theory or Quantum Mechanics, it is worth reading this book. Dr. Bhaumik's book presents complicated physics theories in simple terms, and then ties those principles into his statement that everything from human consciousness, to the farthest stars, to the smallest particles are all interrelated and have a single name: God.

When I got to certain points in the book, I could hear my brain frying ;-) These were some increbile points he was making and I was blown away.

The only reason I gave it four stars is because he spends a little too much time in my opinion on his upbringing in India. Yes, it helps set the stage for the life eventually goes onto, and underscores several of his ideas, but it should have been cut shorter.

We Are One.......2007-05-21

Dr. Bhaumik's book should be required reading for all religions! Using the discoveries of Quantum Physics and other areas of science, he proves how the universe we know all comes from one source, Code Name God, beginning with the Big Bang. He explains the seemingly conscious evolution of elements and the universal laws that permeate and guide our universe. Then he shows that we are all made of the same material (a nucleus consisting of one up quark and one down quark and electrons). In proving the oneness and interconnectedness of all, he shows how we are truly brothers and sisters. Perhaps if we all got that, we would stop our senseless fighting revere this beautiful home we have been given and live in peace.

A Must-Read for Inquiring Minds.......2007-04-11

This book has been most helpful in deepening my understanding of Hinduism and Christianity and their Common Ground. I am very thankful Bhaumik has committed himself to integrating his backgound of East and West, of science and mystery, and presenting his knowledge and insights in ways the lay person can begin to grasp. Now the scriptures have become fully believable, though I do not claim to comprehend it all. I am scheduled to review the book for a study group and I have recommended it to several friends.

EXCEPTIONAL.......2006-12-02

How often does a book captivate you to the point of altering your schedule, tracking down its author, and spending hours with him in order to engage in dialogue about the subject after you've read the book? This is exactly the effect Dr. Mani Bhaumik's "Code Name God" had on me.
Actually, it was the subtitle, "The spiritual odyessey of a man of science," that first grabbed my attention and made me buy the first of 30 copies. I needed something "smart" to pass on to my intellectual, over-achieving and under-believing agnostic friends and colleagues.
However, the one whose eyes were opened the most were perhaps my own.

Mani Bhaumik was a devestatingly impoverished child from the Indian province of Bengal. His beloved grandmother died before his very eyes when she gave Mani her ration of food so that he may live. The entire village sold what meager belongings they possessed in order to send the unusually gifted youngster to UCLA. As a result, today hundreds of poor children from India are enjoying higher education and radically improved lives not only for themselves but those from their communities as well, thanks to his efforts and numerous scholarships; and, millions of people around the world literally "see" because of his accomplishments. Dr. Bhaumik is best known for being the co-inventor of the excimer laser--the class of laser than made LASIK corrective eye surgery possible. Eventually, the dirt poor Indian boy became a Bel-Air mega-millionaire, found himself featured on "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," and even dated the Paris Hilton of his day, Ava Gabor.

As fate would usually have it, success, position, awards, wealth and fame wasn't enough. A void ensued in his soul that required all else to be put into question and in perspective. It is this journey that makes the rest of his extraordinary life experiences pale by comparison. It is a journey that I hope you too will want to read about...one that will alter the course of your destiny as well.

Julie Chrystyn,
author of "Body Transformation"

The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World (New Press People's History)

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still waiting
The Bruised Peoples
Good
Excellent
Worthy read for those interested

The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World (New Press People's History)
Vijay Prashad
Manufacturer: New Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1565847857

Book Description

A landmark study that offers an alternative history of the Cold War from the point of view of the world's poor.

'"Europe" is morally, spiritually indefensible. And today the indictment is brought against it…by tens and tens of thousands of millions of men who, from the depths of slavery, set themselves up as judges.'—Aimé Césaire, Discourse on Colonialism

Here, from a brilliant young writer, is a paradigm-shifting history of both a utopian concept and global movement—the idea of the Third World. The Darker Nations traces the intellectual origins and the political history of the twentieth century attempt to knit together the world's impoverished countries in opposition to the United States and Soviet spheres of influence in the decades following World War II.

Spanning every continent of the global South, Vijay Prashad's fascinating narrative takes us from the birth of postcolonial nations after World War II to the downfall and corruption of nationalist regimes. A breakthrough book of cutting-edge scholarship, it includes vivid portraits of Third World giants like India's Nehru, Egypt's Nasser, and Indonesia's Sukarno—as well as scores of extraordinary but now-forgotten intellectuals, artists, and freedom fighters. The Darker Nations restores to memory the vibrant though flawed idea of the Third World, whose demise, Prashad ultimately argues, has produced a much impoverished international political arena. 12 b/w photographs.

Customer Reviews:

still waiting.......2007-08-29

In 1927, two hundred delegates from thirty-seven states and regions gathered in Brussels and formed the League Against Imperialism. In doing so they gave an institutional voice to the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of the vast majority of the people in the world who eventually found their countries sandwiched between the "first" world of the United States and the "second" world of the Soviet Union. Not wanting to align with either empire, from that meeting onward the "third world" (a word coined in 1952 by Albert Sauvy) became a prolonged international project and not just a place of misery. The setting was fraught with irony, for Belgium was then led by King Leopold II, whose shameless pillage of the Congo had few peers. In this history of the majority of the world's peoples, Vijay Prashad traces their elusive quest, its problems and pitfalls, and the causes and consequences of its failure.

Prashad's organization takes one on a global tour; each one of his eighteen chapter titles is a major city of the third world project. In Part 1 he considers the quest (Paris, Brussels, Bandung, Cairo, Buenos Aires, Tehran, Belgrade, and Havana); in Part 2 the pitfalls (Algiers, La Paz, Bali, Tawang, Caracas, and Arusha); then in Part 3 the "assassinations" of the project (New Delhi, Kingston, Singapore, Mecca). The third world sought three goals, he says: political independence and self-rule; peaceful co-existence and non-violent international relations; and using the United Nations as the means to push its agenda, all in contrast to the militarism, economic dominance, and ostensible superiority of the American and Soviet spheres. Along the way Prashad tackles most every aspect of this struggle, including education, bureaucratism, land reform, suffrage, religion, revolutionary violence, foreign aid, transnational corporations, the "villigization" of millions of people, the debt crisis, natural resources, and women's discrimination.

The third world project failed badly for many complex reasons. After freeing themselves from the shackles of imperial overlords, countries tended to centralize power in the state instead of establishing effective social democracies, stifled dissent, ignored rule of law, plundered national treasure, and set up military regimes ruled by dictator-thugs ("Nothing good comes from a military dictatorship."). The predator first world continued their economic plunder thanks to the threat of overwhelming military, political, and economic means (globalization, the IMF, etc.). And thus the "catastrophic demise" of the third world project. Crushing debt and widening income gaps between rich and poor nations are only the most obvious signs that most people in the world remain marginalized by their own states and exploited by the first world. But at least they now have a history of their struggle, thanks to Prashad.

The Bruised Peoples.......2007-06-15

This book gets high marks for its sheer wealth of information, though it's not a casual reading experience. Here Vijay Prashad has continued the spirit of Howard Zinn's classic "A People's History of the United States," and this book is a strong inaugural release in what will hopefully be a continuing series. Here Prashad constructs the "Third World" as a Cold War term for all the disadvantaged nations that were caught in the crossfire between the First and Second Worlds, and were usually abused as pawns in the era's strictly bilateral games of geopolitics and development. Specifically, most of Prashad's work concerns the Non-Aligned Movement of nations that tried to resist taking sides in the bilateral Cold War, and attempted to build a coalition of nations that could stand as a viable entity with its own ideologies and political strategies. Prashad provides a wealth of little-known information on the nations and leaders that attempted to build this movement, and the political and economic realities faced by the peoples and societies that were being used and left behind by the superpowers.

Those familiar with Zinn's book will recognize the travails of the passionate historian who can't figure out how to synthesize vast quantities of historical knowledge. The first half of this book is tough to digest, consisting of an interminable laundry list of names and events with little over-arching analysis, giving the impression that Prashad is trying to describe every single thing that happened during the Cold War era outside of the US, Europe, and USSR. Occasional snippets of theory also seem forced and awkward, such as Prashad's examinations of unnatural borders or the behavior of military dictators. Fortunately, the book improves in the second half, as Prashad manages to develop his previously disconnected bits of history and theory into a strong overall analysis of how the superpowers "assassinated" (in his rather hyperbolic term) the Third World movement and its promises of social and economic progress, through globalization, conquest, and corporatism. Most importantly, Prashad does not refrain from criticizing the Third World nations too, as many of them have compounded their own misery by reverting to old styles of inequality and dictatorship. While this book has some real readability issues, and Prashad can sometimes be faulted for steering historical data toward his own theories, the reader is rewarded with a great amount of knowledge on peoples and leaders who have been forgotten in the histories of winners. [~doomsdayer520~]

Good.......2007-04-15

The Third World is a Cold War term, meaning mostly former nations that were ruled by Europeans and won their political independence in the decades after the second world war. That's how most people understand it anyway. It started off as a term of empowerment and hope by the leaders of the newly independent countries in the 1950s, after years of trying to bind the colonized into a single cause. These leaders saw that the First capitalist world and the Second Soviet-bloc world needed the Third world for its resources, people, and support in the global cold war, and they did not want to be pawns anymore.

The Third World Project started in the 1955 at the Bandung Asian-African Conference, when the Nonaligned Movement was founded (NAM) in opposition to the 1st and 2nd Worlds. From here, the Third World was split by internal divisions, attacks by the West and Eastern blocs, and finally outright destruction of the "Third World" by economic policies pushed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the United States, as well as political and military attacks by the USA and its allies. In "The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World" by Vijay Prashad, the history of this push for unity, the contradictions of the class of leaders in trying to build this better Third world, the splits within the movement, and the final assassination of the Third World Project.

The book switches between different locations and different situations. Prashad points out that there was a strange contradiction in the work of building a Third World. The ruling class of the decolonized countries supported the new rulers, in many places, who wanted to stand up for themselves. But at the same time, as time went on, they also supported all-powerful dictators and neo-liberal economics that lead to the resources of the country being drained out like vampires (leading to continuation of places which have some of the richest resources of the world and some of the poorest people, like in Congo.) Projects like OPEC started as the "darker nations" tried to control their own politics, though it soon disintegrated into just rulers enriching themselves. In the end, they worked better with ruling classes of the 1st world than the people of their own countries.

Prashad goes to each place, from Singapore, to Indonesia and Suharto, to Baghdad, and explores the rise and fall of the Third World. Today, he ends, the Third World is dead. However, an international movement, free of imposed movements from above or directly by the elites of the government, has arisen and the world is changing to oppose the US. The book is an interesting look at an attempt by the leaders of former colonized places to fight back, though it can be a little disorienting traveling across so many places so fast (which is probably what trying to organize all those places to act together would have been like.) How the First World was able to destroy this movement is a pretty good lesson of history for any person to know.

Excellent.......2007-03-14

I've heard Prashad occassionally on WBAI and am kicking myself for taking so long to get around to his work. This is one of the greatest books ever written on the Third World. Its cogent, lucid and thorough. What I found very interesting was the book's balance. I can imagine how diffult it must've been to explicate each Nation's history in a few hundred pages adequately. He also excelled at depicting just how connected - Poitically / Sociologically and Economically - Third World Nations really are. This is indispensable in understanding the current state of the Third World. Undoubtedly, one for the shelves.

Worthy read for those interested.......2007-02-27

Well done. Bringing together material usually found in national, regional, and international histories the author orders material topically with chapter titles of cities where major events related to each theme happened.

Although not easy reading because much of the material is unfamiliar to most readers, the discussions are handled well and judgements usually sound. It is a wonder that this book could be written at all because of the breadth required. If you know one region of the world this volume will open your eyes and provide rich information for comparison.

Even if one is put off by views reflecting sympathy for the "Darker Peoples", critical of colonial mythmaking and neoliberal globalization alike - the control of the facts and history demands attention.

The Mughal Empire (The New Cambridge History of India)

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concise information about the mughal empire
An excellent survey marred by too little attention to women

The Mughal Empire (The New Cambridge History of India)
John F. Richards
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521566037

Book Description

The Mughal empire was one of the largest centralized states in the premodern world and this volume traces the history of this magnificent empire from its creation in 1526 to its breakup in 1720. Richards stresses the dynamic quality of Mughal territorial expansion, their institutional innovations in land revenue, coinage and military organization, ideological change and the relationship between the emperors and Islam. He also analyzes institutions particular to the Mughal empire, such as the jagir system, and explores Mughal India's links with the early modern world.

Customer Reviews:

concise information about the mughal empire.......2001-04-05

This book is an excellent source of information about the mughal dynasty. It is written in a chronological manner and hence, easy to read and follow even for the novice user to this subject. The author has stuck to the main theme of the lives of the emperors themselves, their artistic contribution to India and the people that influenced them. The facts about the emperors especially Jahangir, Shahjahan , the Rajput kings, Shivaji's greatness and Shambhaji's misadventures makes it an interesting read. I feel that this book brings forth the facts that are not widely known or mentioned in school history books that brings forth some suprises and hence makes it an interesting read.

An excellent survey marred by too little attention to women.......1999-08-16

Dr. Richards' otherwise excellent book about the Mughal Empire is marred by his failure to pay very much attention to its women. Gulbadan is mentioned but once, Jodh Bai, Shah Jahan's mother, not at all, Nur Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal only peripherally. Are the Mughal chronicles themselves similarly silent about these women? Since Gulbadan wrote her own, one must say no.

The Siege of Krishnapur (New York Review Books Classics)

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Bringing The Indians A Superior Civilization
Masterful Recreation of the British Under Siege in the Great Mutiny
Trapped in the Flag
Civilization in a Nutshell
DEATH, WHERE IS THY POINT?

The Siege of Krishnapur (New York Review Books Classics)
J.G. Farrell
Manufacturer: NYRB Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 159017092X
Release Date: 2004-07-31

Amazon.com

"The first sign of trouble at Krishnapur came with a mysterious distribution of chapatis, made of coarse flour and about the size and thickness of a biscuit; towards the end of February 1857, they swept the countryside like an epidemic."

Students of history will recognize 1857 as the year of the Sepoy rebellion in India--an uprising of native soldiers against the British, brought on by Hindu and Muslim recruits' belief that the rifle cartridges they were provided had been greased with pig or cow fat. This seminal event in Anglo-Indian relations provides the backdrop for J.G. Farrell's Booker Prize-winning exploration of race, culture, and class, The Siege of Krishnapur.

Like the mysteriously appearing chapatis, life in British India seems, on the surface, innocuous enough. Farrell introduces us gradually to a large cast of characters as he paints a vivid portrait of the Victorians' daily routines that are accompanied by heat, boredom, class consciousness, and the pursuit of genteel pastimes intended for cooler climates. Even the siege begins slowly, with disquieting news of massacres in cities far away. When Krishnapur itself is finally attacked, the Europeans withdraw inside the grounds of the Residency where very soon conditions begin to deteriorate: food and water run out, disease is rampant, people begin to go a little mad. Soon the very proper British are reduced to eating insects and consorting across class lines. Farrell's descriptions of life inside the Residency are simultaneously horrifying and blackly humorous. The siege, for example, is conducted under the avid eyes of the local populace, who clearly anticipate an enjoyable massacre and thus arrive every morning laden with picnic lunches (plainly visible to the starving Europeans). By turns witty and compassionate, The Siege of Krishnapur comprises the best of all fictional worlds: unforgettable characters, an epic adventure, and at its heart a cultural clash for the ages. Quite simply, this is a splendid novel. --Alix Wilber

Book Description

Winner of the booker prize.

India, 1857—the year of the Great Mutiny, when Muslim soldiers turned in bloody rebellion on their British overlords. This time of convulsion is the subject of J. G. Farrell's The Siege of Krishnapur, widely considered one of the finest British novels of the last fifty years.

Farrell's story is set in an isolated Victorian outpost on the subcontinent. Rumors of strife filter in from afar, and yet the members of the colonial community remain confident of their military and, above all, moral superiority. But when they find themselves under actual siege, the true character of their dominion—at once brutal, blundering, and wistful—is soon revealed. The Siege of Krishnapur is a companion to Troubles, about the Easter 1916 rebellion in Ireland, and The Singapore Grip, which takes place just before World War II, as the sun begins to set upon the British Empire. Together these three novels offer an unequaled picture of the follies of empire.

Customer Reviews:

Bringing The Indians A Superior Civilization.......2007-08-25

This is an excellent novel about the Sepoy Mutiny in India in 1857. The focus of the story is the siege of the British Civil Service enclave at Krishanpur (historically this was the siege of Lucknow). A group of Sepoy soldiers was given new rifle cartridges that were wrapped in greased paper, and the paper was removed by biting it off with one's teeth. The word spread was that this grease was animal grease, which was an insult to religion. The sepoys mutinied, killed their superior British officers, and started marauding across India.

Hearing about the mutiny the (tax) Collector in Krishnapur had ramparts built around the British buildings in Krishnapur. Shortly afterwards the Sepoys attacked in waver after wave for a period of several months. Surprisingly author Farrell describes the sufferings of those besieged with a good deal of humor, humor that pricks holes in the pompous beliefs and attitudes of 19th century British colonizers. We bring them progress, a superior civilization, yet they turn on us marvels the Collector. The condescension doesn't stop with the Indians. At one point the Collector speaks to the British women in the enclave, and silently thinks that in reality women are really useless creatures. It is the men of the world that shoulder the responsibility of getting things done. The padre runs around telling everyone that God is punishing them for their sinful behavior. A new school and an old school doctor constantly disagree over medical treatment. In perhaps the funniest scene of the book the old doctor contracts cholera, and instructs his aides to cover him with mustard plasters. The young doctor, who is aware that cholera victims die from dehydration, initiates a saline IV every time the old doc sinks into a coma. The IV brings him around, and he immediately pulls out the IV and insists on getting his mustard plasters, following which he soon sinks back into a coma. Back goes the IV and the doc becomes conscious again. This cycle goes on and on and becomes hysterically funny.

The British thought they were doing wonderful things for the Indians, but the harsh reality of it is they were creating harsh lives for their colonial subjects. The sepoys, for example, were paid near starvation wages. This is an important novel about the misguided philosophy behind imperialism. Perhaps there is a lesson here for us Americans. Should we really be focused on bringing our way of life to other countries?

Masterful Recreation of the British Under Siege in the Great Mutiny.......2007-07-01

"The Siege of Krishnapur', the second of J.G. Farrell's now classic works on the British Empire, (see also Troubles (New York Review Books Classics) and The Singapore Grip (New York Review Books Classics)) is a fictionalized account of the Siege of Lucknow during the Great Mutiny of 1857-1858 (aka the Sepoy Rebellion). The mutiny or rebellion, depending on one's point of view, was ultimately defeated by the British and led to the replacement of East India Company rule by direct British governance under the Raj.

Farrell masterfully recreates the insular British upper-class life in India - and the siege only intensifies this insularity. As the siege drags on and on, the inhabitants strive to maintain expected standards of behavior and decorum. Farrell populates his book with interesting characters who debate and dispute morality, religion, progress, and civilization.

Excellent introductions are a hallmark of the New York Review of Books Classics and the introduction to this volume by Pankaj Mishra places the book in historical and cultural context and adds significant value.

Highest Recommendation.

Trapped in the Flag.......2007-05-13

At the climax of this magnificent novel, the book's protagonist, Hopkins, the British civil administrator or Collector of Krishnapur, finds himself trapped in a Union Jack whose flagstaff has been shot down, knocking him to the ground. He recognizes it as the scenario of a persistent nightmare that had been troubling since his small enclave had been put under siege several months before. But it is also a symbol for the entire book.

The initial set-up here is similar to that of the author's TROUBLES: a group of British colonialists crammed together in a decaying building while the threat of native rebellion comes closer. But this is larger in scope, with a bigger cast of characters, grander themes, and a rebellion which is much more than some background disturbance. Unlike the violence in TROUBLES, which is seen at first hand only in the hallucinatory final chapters of the book, this one (the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857) takes center stage about a third of the way into the movel, leading to harrowing scenes of death, starvation, and disease. On the level of a simple war story, these events (based on the siege of Lucknow) make for a stirring story of heroism and courage -- especially where these qualities are unexpected, is in the formerly stuffy Collector who discovers hidden talents for generalship and strategy, and the young poet George Fleury, fresh out from England, who proves to have a strong practical streak and a remarkably cool head.

Also as in TROUBLES, there is a pervasive eroticism to this book, centering around three of the younger woman besieged in the Residency: the debutante Louise, chaste belle of Calcutta balls; Miriam, George's young widowed sister, tired of being assigned to stereotypical female roles, and Lucy, whom everybody knows as a "dishonored woman" although nobody is entirely clear as to the extent or agency of his dishonor. As the siege persists, the courtship conventions of colonial society are turned on their head by proximity and deprivation. There is one almost surreal scene in which Lucy, attacked by a huge cloud of otherwise harmless flying beetles, rips off her clothes and promptly faints, leaving two young men to scrape the insects off her, in the process discovering the differences between a real female body and a marble statue.

For, despite the bloodshed, Farrell's characteristic tone of comedy is present here too, but now his targets are as much institutional as personal: the hypocracies of colonialism, trivia of class and culture, and Victorian attitudes towards faith and science. As we meet the cast of characters, we find many different points of view: the Padre who believes that the rebellion is God's punishment for sin, the cynical Magistrate who is a confirmed atheist, the Opium Agent who believes only in profit, rival doctors from older and newer schools of thinking, bluff soldiers who do not think much at all but who can yet be excellent at their jobs, the aesthete Fleury whose first reaction to being under fire is to assemble phrases for an epic poem, and the Collector, who believes in progress, but attempts to strike a balance between all points of view. And to a remarkable extent, the author also manages to retain that balance. The siege is a crucible in which every kind of received attitude may be tested, and for the most part found wanting. But Farrell is never preachy or polemical; he does not make everything subservient to a single point of view, even the anti-colonial one. His great gift is to keep you thinking, even as you turn the pages with bated breath. A brilliant achievement!

Civilization in a Nutshell.......2006-10-15

Its rare to find a book that combines a fascinating story with great character studies and development and meticulously researched history to make a point about our civilizing impulses. It took me a bit of effort to get into it, and then couldn't put it down. The introduction by Pankaj Mistry provides a great synopsis of the themes, and I really enjoyed rereading it after I finished the story.

DEATH, WHERE IS THY POINT?.......2006-05-09

Chapatis. It is always difficult to start a novel convincingly, but it's a long time since I saw it done better than it is here. The harbinger of the brutal and bloody Indian uprising of 1857 was, in this narrative at least, the secret distribution of chapatis to the intended victims. I have long forgotten what little I may ever have known about these events, and I would actually be delighted to discover that this detail was not an invention of the novelist's but what actually happened.

If paraphrased, the amount of gore and squalor that is detailed here on page after page would seem grotesque and even intolerable. As told by Farrell, it manages to be neither. This was the Victorian era, and the story is a scenario of British Victorians subjected to pressure and strain of near-incredible ferocity. The author does not spare us the specifics, and it will be a long time before I forget the spongy piles of corpses, the sense of near-unbearable heat in which I for one would have had difficulty in even wearing the stuffy formal clothes let alone dancing let alone battling for my very life, the pervasive stench, the outbreak of cholera and the indelible vignette of the lapdog chewing the face off a fallen defender. Even more extraordinary, to me, than the way they keep going is what they don't do and in particular what they think and don't think. There is no real instance of irrational panic whatsoever, and although the Padre for one has clearly gone slightly round the bend, the way this manifests itself is in an obsessional fixation with denouncing Sin and Heresy, and largely with his frantic concern to prove that great Victorian preoccupation The Existence of God from something like Aquinas's Argument from Design.

At the height of the horror, the Collector is still thinking in Victorian vocabulary and expressing himself in subordinate clauses. Staring death in the eye, the young intellectual Fleury is still concerned with his theories, whether in respect of the operation of guns or of the progress of rationalism. The ladies themselves, who might have been expected to be in a state of blind terror, are still weighing up the niceties of how the matrons and widows on the one hand, and the Fallen Woman on the other, are expected to comport themselves. Most amazingly of all, when the cholera first breaks out the two doctors conduct a lengthy and articulate debate on its causes and remedies, keeping the attention not just of each other but of an attentive audience.

The book abounds in unforgettable incidents - the smothering cloud of cockchafer beetles, the snowstorm, the slaughter of one rebel contingent with silver forks from the dining-room and marble busts of Socrates and Keats - but what is distinctive and extraordinary about this book is its tone. Its tone is quiet, detached and wry without being aggressively ironic. No heavy lessons are preached (although it's not hard to see which side the author is on when it comes to religion). No particular political standpoint is adopted either, the nearest we get to that being the shoulder-shrugging last paragraph. The whole saga ought to have been a filthy nightmare, but instead the reader feels rather like the onlookers who have come along with picnic lunches to watch the events as if they were watching a game of cricket. It has all been Virgil's `plurima mortis imago' - the omnipresent face of death, and yet it has been a bit of a spectator-sport too. I'm actually rather glad I'm no historian in this instance. I don't know what set off the uprising, and once the relief forces turn up so far as I know things went back to much as they were before. The author offers us no theories or explanations: he just leaves us having witnessed wholesale and insensate slaughter and wondering what it can all have been in aid of.

The Bodhisattva Warriors: The Origin, Inner Philosophy, History and Symbolism of the Buddhist Martial Art Within India and China

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I can't believe i payed money for this
Martial arts Buddhist past
For the serious martial arts student
A dedicated life long search for why a Martial art is Buddhist?
Bogus Budo-Buyer Beware

The Bodhisattva Warriors: The Origin, Inner Philosophy, History and Symbolism of the Buddhist Martial Art Within India and China
Terence Dukes
Manufacturer: Weiser Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0877287856

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I can't believe i payed money for this.......2006-12-16

I don't know how anyone can possibly state that this book is any good. As a historical book, it doesn't have any historical authenticity to anything that the author has written in it. I bought this book because I thought I was going to learn something new - boy was I wrong. His take on history is not related to what is written by current historians and a lot of his conclusions about the origins of martial arts are just opinions that when one thinks about it makes no logical sense. Newsflash.... all major historians believe that organized martial arts were created by the military or by people involved in military/police affairs. They were not created by pacifistic monks or religious people who believe in pacifism. That is just illogical. His other attempts such as tying the birth of martial arts to buddhism is wrong in the face of the fact that there is defined martial arts in china, korea, and japan before the creation of buddhism or even the transport of buddhism to those countries. The Shaolin temple is the only Chan/Zen temple that has a martial arts tradition in all of china. Most historians believe that it harbored retired soldiers who possessed martial arts traditions from their military days and brought it into the temple. Further, most historians believe that the martial arts in china and japan took religion into it after the creation of the martial arts to try to lend a moral character to the immoral process of learning how to hurt and kill others (so that people wouldn't do it a totally immoral fashion). He also discounts the major contributions that Taoism/Confucianism/ and Sun Tzu's theories on warfare on the martial arts. His take on this seems to revolve around the Shaolin temple and the Bodhidharma legend (which is just a legend! - Historians aren't even sure that he existed as a real individual in connection with the Shaolin temple!) It's the same with European or Middle Eastern martial arts and warfare. Most soldiers of Europe and the Middle east were greatly influenced by priests and religious men for moral or religious fortitude in the face of the study of the art of self defense. That does not mean that Christianity or Islam created european/middle eastern swordplay. His illogic is similar to the illogic of stating that the Knights Templar of Europe invented fencing and sword play because they were religious people and many soldiers and swordsmen in Europe during the middle ages were religious and attended church... A totally illogical statement. All in all a horrible book. I'm peeved because I unfortunately actually spent my hard earned money on it at full price.

Martial arts Buddhist past.......2006-07-16

I don't know what some of these reviewists talk about when they say that Shifu Nagaboshi Tomio's work is fabricated. Bodhisattva warriors has much quantifiable evidence in its 500 plus pages (I can only think that they have an ulterior motive to try suppress the writers' work).

Bodhisattva Warriors to my mind goes beneath the surface of current historical facts but the key facts are still there with many more I had not read before pointing me in directions for further reading.

With regards this subject the most popular records are those of of Bodhidharma the 28th Patriarch of Buddhism in India, and the first Patriarch in China. Bodhidharma is traditionally held to be the founder of the Chaan school of Buddhism (known in Japan and the West as Zen), and the Shaolin school of Chinese martial arts. Bodhidharma is well known for teaching the ailing monks of Shaolin the moving arts, though Shifu Nagaboshi points out that having been an Indian Prince like the Buddha, Bodhidharma had been taught the warrior arts of the Kshatrya caste in his home country of India.

There is no question about the earliest reliable evidence of Buddhist monks engaging in military action, and therefore possibly using martial arts skills, from the celebrated attack on Wang Shih-ch'ung's forces, in support of the Tang forces of Li Shill-min, in 621 CE. Memorial tablets recording this and other military exploits of Shaolin monks are still preserved today. (DEMIEVILLE 1973, pp. 275-79)

Terry Dukes' sensible observation that many martial arts movements in China, Korea and Japan are derived from Buddhist 'mudra' (signs of the hand) are clearly not just his own fanciful ideas (as some like to suggest) as these mudras can be seen all over China in surviving Buddhist paintings and statues of Buddhas. Evidence is even greater in Buddhist temple guardians who are traditionally depicted in warrior like poses performing mudras which are easily recognised as martial arts movements. Just to give a couple of examples: the well known Buddhist mudra 'abhaya mudra', the 'mudra of fearlessness' which the Buddha is recorded as using to subdue a charging elephant, can be seen in many martial arts as it is a type of inner circling knife hand. 'Bhumisparsa mudra' the mudra of calling the earth to witness is depicted in images of temple guardians as a gesture of surpressing enemies of Buddhism. However these examples are just two of many that can be uncovered by any discerning martial arts enquirer.

I have myself checked that many of these images and statues date back to the early insurgence of Buddhist culture into China through the silk Road which opened in the Second Century BC so there is absolutely no historical dispute that Indian Buddhism had a massive impact on Chinese Culture from this date onwards and Terry Dukes helps make the cross connections between martial arts and Buddhism from this time onwards.

Again there are more sustainable facts with Zhang Qian (Hsuang Tsang) a Chinese explorer and imperial envoy of the 2nd century BCE, is recorded as the first official diplomat to bring back reliable information about Central Asia to the Chinese imperial court, then under Emperor Wu of Han. Zhang Qian is also credited with the translation of many important Buddhist texts (sutras) which layed down the foundations for Buddhism which was to rival and often dominate Taoism in the Chinese imperial court.

There is no disputing that Indian Buddhism was so widespread that it managed to reach the shores of Japan, and as we know very well was whole heartedly adopted by the Japanese, dramatically influencing Japanese culture and arts from the 7th Century to the present day.

There is of course a fundemental difference between Japan and China in that Japan had no forign intervention or civil wars which resulted in the suppression of Buddhism. In China however as Terry Dukes points out in Bodhisattva Warriors that Taoism and Buddhism vied for acceptance as the imperial courts religion and so inevitably Buddhism at different periods in Chinese history was outlawed and inevitably had to be taught secretly. It is only a small step to infer that to escape detection by the authorities Buddhism was easily codified into hand movements and dances (form, kata or hsing) where it has been passed down through Buddhist martial practices to the present day.

Shifu Nagaboshi's assertians of this are are easily verified by evidence of the codification of mudras (hand signs) in Buddhist practice because we can see the practices of Chen Yen monks of China, Shingon Monks of Japan and Vajryana lamas of Tibet who still ritually perform complicated hand movements to accompany verbal and meditational practices.

This is what is interesting about this book as just as in Buddhist Chuan Fa the mudra these monks use are not just simply mundane 'hand signs' but a 'phsyco-physical' gesture which (as this term suggests) involves not just the body but also the mind of the practitoner.

The practice of unifying mind and body within physical training is well established within martial arts systems and this Buddhist (yogacara) tradition as Shifu Nagaboshi (along with others)* correctly identifies is most certainly one of the roots of this practice. (See Keenan: Spontaneity in Western Martial Arts, A Yogacara Critique of Mushin [No-Mind]- a google search will find this)

Terry Dukes (who quite openly displays both his English and Budddhist name on the front cover) has obviously hit some raw nerves with people who would keep to their blinkered history of martial arts rather than engage with the facts that there are some aspects of the esoteric doctrines that just do not fit into martial arts based on commercial an egotistical gain.

As a Buddhist this book explained a lot about the art I am practicing.

For the serious martial arts student.......2006-06-06

The Bodhisattva Warriors is a highly intellectual, thought-provoking book and is not for the casual reader. Despite its length and the depth of information given, it is obvious that the book is meant as an introduction only for it deals with a vast amount of complex subject matters, most of which would take volumes to cover fully. Where applicable, the sources of photographs and illustrations are given, and the 124 pages of the notes and bibliography at the back indicate where information contained in the book came from.
For the serious student who is interested in gaining a wider knowledge and understanding of the martial arts, The Bodhisattva Warriors by Shifu Nagaboshi Tomio provides a solid base from which to carry out further research and study.
This book is highly recommended.

A dedicated life long search for why a Martial art is Buddhist?.......2006-06-03

There are two sides to every coin and some martial arts practitioners dismiss this book out of hand and they are entitled to their views however in my humble opinion and that of many others in the martial arts world this book is a milestone in Martial Arts research. Nagaboshi/Dukes has oviously taken a lot of time in these 500 or so pages to investigate questions that many martial arts students would like to have answers to.

Although certainly not an easy read it is obvious after a while that Nagaboshi/Dukes is uncovering ideas that are rarely if ever mentioned in the local Shoalin/Zen/Budo martial arts dojo. Some of these questions are really quite simple like:

Why 'clobbering' each other is Buddhist?
What could be Buddhist about kata or forms?
Why does the Japanese term for the martial arts training hall 'dojo' have the same name as the meditation hall in a Zen monastery'?
What is the spiritual connection with the Shaolin Monastry or to Buddhism in general?
What did the patron of Buddhist Martial arts 'Bodhidhama' actually say and teach?

This book is certainly not going to be to everyone's taste but if you are seriously interested in what a Buddhist Martial art is and why, then this book cannot be overlooked. There are very few if any books to my knowledge that take this subject so seriously and if those who write it off were to write any books on the subject I would be happy to read them.

Bodhisattva Warriors has had an obvious impact, sending all the Shaolin/Zen perporting martial arts teachers diving to swat up on their Buddhism so that their students can't ask them awkward questions or on the other hand taking the easiest option in just dismissing Nagaboshi/Dukes as having made it all up! Which is obviously not the case if you read the book.

I've taken the time to read this book and come to my own conclusions. This is a very important book possibly a milestone in martial arts literature. Nagaboshi/Dukes has focused on the spiritual Buddhism in the Buddhist martial art rather than just paying lipservice to it with a few quipped Zen sayings. If your teacher doesn't know much about why his martial art is Buddhist, then this is the book to get and if he dimisses it you will know why. He hasn't read it!

Bodhisattva Warriors has obviously taken years of research to compile and probably the best part of a lifetime to write. It is a must even if like me you just use it as part of your research into martial arts history. I give it five stars.

Bogus Budo-Buyer Beware.......2006-03-25

As a Martial Artist and a Buddhist, I found this "book" by "Shifu" Nagaboshi (aka. Terry Dukes) to be both misleading and offensive. The information it contains regarding Buddhism and the Martial arts is completely false. The book is written in a poor, rambling and confusing style, profusely illustrated with ripped-off photos from other books. "Shifu" Nagaboshi is a well-known fraud in the Martial Arts world. His "Mushindo" is nothing more than a cult and has nothing to do either with either the real Martial Arts or Buddhism. Anyone seriously beginning studies in the path of either Budo or the Buddha would to well to steer clear of works by "Shifu" Nagaboshi-Dukes. There are dozens of wonderful books available at GREAT PRICES from Amazon.com. that will help your studies of Budo. Try reading, "Karate-do Kyohan" by Gichin Funakoshi (the title is Japanese, but the book is in english!) Or try Master Funakoshi's autobiography, "Karate-do, My Way of Life." For wonderful stories and legends about Chinese Kung Fu, nothing beats Robert Smith's classic "Chinese Boxing, Masters and Methods." Before you think of buying this "book" by Nagaboshi, consider something...in Japan you do not call your teacher "Shifu." "Sifu" is the Mandarin Chinese term for teacher. ("Shifu" is probably a Hong Kong/Cantonese corruption Dukes picked up somewhere.) In Japan, you always call your teacher "Sensei." Nagaboshi didn't even get his title right, so how can you trust his bogus book? If I can stop one serious young martial artist from getting into Nagaboshi's cult, my review will have served its purpose. In Gassho to all true students of the path.

New Cambridge History of India: An Agrarian History of South Asia

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New Cambridge History of India: An Agrarian History of South Asia
David Ludden
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Indian Society and the Making of the British Empire (The New Cambridge History of India)

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A great historiography of how the British Empire formed out of the India

Indian Society and the Making of the British Empire (The New Cambridge History of India)
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Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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This volume provides a synthesis of some of the most important themes to emerge from the recent proliferation of specialized scholarship on the period of India's transition to colonialism and seeks to reassess the role of Indians in the politics and economics of early colonialism. It discusses new views of the "decline of the Mughals" and the role of the Indian capitalists in the expansion of the English East India Company's trade and urban settlements. It considers the reasons for the inability of indigenous states to withstand the British, but also highlights the relative failure of the Company to transform India into a quiescent and profitable colony. Finally it deals with changes in India's ecology, social organization, and ideologies in the early nineteenth century, and the nature of Indian resistance to colonialism, including the Rebellion of 1857.

Customer Reviews:

A great historiography of how the British Empire formed out of the India.......2007-09-15

This book covers the historiography of how Indian developed in the British Empire up through the Mutiny in 1857. The rise of British dominance in the Punjab as well as the surrounding countryside is broken up by category and analyzed through the relevant literature at the time. This book does a wonderful job of assessing where the debate on empire was at the end of the 1980's and while it is important to update for current literature it is still a very thorough and useful account. It looks at how the rise of a farming class gave way to the caste system that was a development of the British Raj. This is mostly an account of the pre European and early days of the East India Company that developed into the British Empire following the Mutiny. Overall this is a very useful book on how the British Empire came into formation and the effect that Indian society had on forming the crown jewel of the empire.

A Place in the World: New Local Historiographies for Africa and South Asia (African Social Studies Series)

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A Place in the World: New Local Historiographies for Africa and South Asia (African Social Studies Series)
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