Subalterns and Raj: South Asia since 1600 - Tapa dura

'A remarkable accomplishment – a survey that is very accessible but nevertheless thoughtful, deeply argumentative, and marked by several critical insights ... The book is remarkably appropriate as a provocation with which to teach modern South Asia history.' – Journal of Asian Studies

'It is widely acknowledged that Crispin Bates’ Subalterns and Raj ranks among the best general overviews of South Asian history since the turn of the millennium.' - Michael Mann, South Asian’s Modern History: Thematic Perspectives (Routledge, 2015), p. 11.

Subalterns and Raj presents a unique introductory history of India with an account that begins before the period of British rule, and pursues the continuities within that history up to the present day. Its coverage ranges from Mughal India to post-independence Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, with a focus on the ‘ordinary’ people of India and South Asia.

Subalterns and Raj examines overlooked issues in Indian social history and highlights controversies between historians. Taking an iconoclastic approach to the elites of South Asia since independence, it is critical of the colonial regime that went before them.

This book is a stimulating and controversial read and, with a detailed guide to further reading and end-of-chapter bibliographies, it is an excellent guide for all students of the Indian subcontinent.