India and the World

In this pioneering history of modern India, Claude Markovits offers a new interpretation of events of world importance, focusing on the multiplicity of connections between India and the world. Beginning with an examination of India's evolving role in the world economy, he deals successively with the movement of people out of and into India, the role played by Indian soldiers in a series of conflicts from the mid-eighteenth to the late twentieth century, the place of India in the global circulation of ideas and cultural productions and the relationships established between Indians and others both abroad and at home. Challenging dominant state-centred histories by focusing on the lived experiences of people, Markovits demonstrates that the multiple connections established between India and other lands did not necessarily result in mutual knowledge, but were often marked by misunderstanding.

'Ranging widely across economic, political, and cultural history, India and the World succeeds at multiple levels. It is both scholarly and highly accessible, and brings together an immense amount of research on South Asia and its global diasporas. It is sure to be widely appreciated by students and specialists alike.' Sunil Amrith, Yale University, 'A very welcome and sometimes controversial engagement with the experience of India and Indians from the mid-18th century, drawing on different histories and historiographies. Markovits focuses on India's global connections and influence through multiple webs of interconnection and circulation – economic and military, many migrations, and the spread of culture and ideas.' Judith M. Brown, Emeritus Beit Professor of Commonwealth History, University of Oxford, 'In this compelling and comprehensive work, Claude Markovits follows India's trajectory of connections with the wider world over several centuries, both before and after colonial rule. As always, he paints with a nuanced palette, and offers a balanced overview of many significant debates.' Sanjay Subrahmanyam, University of California, Los Angeles, 'Recommended.' M. H. Fisher, Choice Magazine

Claude Markovits is Senior Research Fellow Emeritus at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.