India: Brief History of a Civilization

India: Brief History of a Civilization, Second Edition, provides a brief overview of a very long period, allowing students to acquire a mental map of the entire history of Indian civilization in a short book. Most comprehensive histories devote a few chapters to the early history of India and an increasing number of pages to the more recent period, giving an impression that early history is mere background and that Indian civilization finds its fulfillment in the nation-state. Thomas R. Trautmann believes that the deep past lives on and is a valuable resource for understanding the present day and for creating a viable future. The result is a book that is short enough to read in a few sittings, but comprehensive in coverage--5,000 years of India in brief.

Table of Contents:
Illustrations About the Book 1. Introduction India, Indians, Indian Civilization The History of Indian Civilization The Landscape of Indian Civilization 2. The Beginnings of Indian Civilization Mohenjo-daro and Harappa Economy, Technology, Writing Religion Origin and Destiny of the Indus Civilization 3. The Vedic Age The Rig Veda Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan The Later Veda The Epics: Mahabharata and Ramayana 4. New Religions, New Empires Religions of Renunciation The Rise of Magadha The Mauryas 5. Classical India The Formation of Classical Indian Civilization (187 BCE-320 CE) The Classical Age (320-600 CE) Late Classical Indian Civilization (600-1000 CE) 6. Family, Society, Polity Family Society Polity 7. Mentalities Religion Law Science Classical Arts and Letters 8. The World That India Made Central Asia East Asia Southeast Asia The Middle East and Europe 9. Turks and Mughals Islam and India Turks Mughals 10. Europeans European Merchants British Rule India and European Civilization 11. The Nation-State The Emergence of Indian Nationalism Gandhi and Jinnah Partition and Independence 12. New Nations The Republic of India Pakistan and Bangladesh Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives Indian Civilization and the Future Further Reading Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Thomas R. Trautmann is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Michigan. He is the editor of The Aryan Debate (OUP, 2008) and the author of Elephants and Kings: An Environmental History (2015), Arthashastra: The Science of Wealth (2012), Languages and Nations (2006), and Aryans and British India (2004).

Review :
"This book is comprehensive, yet short; scholarly, yet accessible. It is the one book I would recommend to anyone who would like a great introduction to Indian history."--Sylvia Gray, Portland Community College "Thomas R. Trautmann has produced the rarest of birds: a lucid, compelling, and yet sophisticated introductory text. Trautmann provides the kind of long historical sweep--from the ancient past to the present--that serves as the perfect foil for understanding the historical dynamics of the region. There is simply no other single guide to South Asia that matches either his fine balance of coverage between different historical periods or his signature combination of enormous erudition with absolute clarity. This book synthesizes and distills the lifetime's understanding of a master historian."--Mrinalini Sinha, University of Michigan "Trautmann is one of the few scholars qualified to speak with authority on the entire span of Indian civilization, from its ancient roots to its modern present. He has done so in a masterly fashion, without sacrificing sophistication to brevity."--Sumit Guha, University of Texas at Austin "This book does what few other introductory texts on South Asian history do-renders all 5,000 years of India accessible to undergraduates--not just the last few hundred or so. It is written with a vision and elegance that are the hallmark of Trautmann's scholarship. His mastery of the history and anthropology of India--both ancient and modern--is subtly distilled into this readable gem of a book. It is an invaluable contribution and a pleasure to teach."--A. Azfar Moin, University of Texas at Austin