A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas

by Ian Talbot

Noted historian Ian Talbot has written a new history of modern South Asia that considers the Indian Subcontinent in regional rather than in solely national terms. A leading expert on the Partition of 1947, Talbot focuses here on the combined history of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh since 1757 and specifically on the impact of external influences on the local peoples and cultures. This text explores the region’s colonial and postcolonial past, and the cultural and economic Indian reaction to the years of British authority, thus viewing the transformation of modern South Asia through the lens of a wider world.

Genres: History

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 2016

About the author

Ian Talbot is professor of history at Southampton University and one of Europe's leading historians of South Asia. He is the author of many books on the subcontinent.

Reviews

[Zarish Fatima · Rating 3 out of 5]

First things first, I wasn't impressed by this book. There was no new insights no stunning relevations or theories. It is a historical rundown of last 2 centuries. Though the breaking down of the chapters is really well done.

Few major things were missing. Firstly the insurgent movements within the south asian states. India China conflict in Anchal Pardesh had been discussed in terms of water but Kashmir issue hasn't been. Thirdly, writer barely deviates from the state narratives he seemed in no mood to discuss anything difficult.

The most positive thing about this book is that it made effort to explain how Pakistan and India might have been both under colonial rule together but there beginnings and circumstances were no where near the same after the partition. Another thing is how he draws comparisons between India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Highlighting the similarities and differences.

I really enjoyed the comparison parts, also I learned about the Bangladesh's history after 1971, which I did not know much about.

Also I was very surprised by the international presence of South Asians even in late 1800s and 1900s and their influence and contributions in the freedom movement. Something I think have been very much ignored in collective state narratives of the region.

This book is a good read if you are interested in historical diaspora of South Asia and for comparison of the 3 states in one book. Other than that it doesn't have anything new to offer, in my humble opinion.

I picked it up because it has diaspora written in the title and I was familiar with the name Ian Talbot.

[Dildar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A History of Modern South Asia is a bird eye view of the historical developments in the region from 1757 till present. It doesn’t just cover the colonial and postcolonial era but the external influences on the people and their culture. In turn it analyzes how the Indians reacted to the British authority and gained independence. The problem was not over for the Indians after getting freedom, the liberated countries have been facing issues of their own. The author, Ian Talbot, is a history professor at the University of Southampton having expertise in British and South Asian history.
The writer has written the book in a time when all of the three countries of the Indian subcontinent are counted in the list of Third World countries and are struggling to compete with the rest of world. India is emerging as an economic power but her population is so huge that she will take many years to be in the list of developed countries. The overseas populations contribute a lot to the economies of these countries. Furthermore, these countries are strategically very important lying on the banks of the Arabian Sea. The region is very complex because of its diversity in ethnicities, religions, languages and sects. This is because of successive waves of migrations and invasions of the region throughout history. The biggest waves that affected this region the most are the invasions of Aryans, Muslims and the British.
South Asia is important strategically, providing a link between Arabian Sea and Central Asia. It has a large population which is focused by the industrialized nations as a useful market for their goods. A giant, China, in the nearby furthers its significance. This book is a personal journey of Talbot which started in 1977. He is a Professor of British History but started researching about South Asia in the previous century and has produced a number works on the history of the region. The author has given a good account of the complexity, diversity, and potential of South Asia in this book.
The book begins with the issues that the three countries; namely India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, have. Issues like border disputes, overseas migration, sectarian and ethnic violence, changes in climate and its effects on the people etc. Then it explains the British rule on subcontinent. It started when the company, after taking hold of the region, took over complete control in the first phase. The East India Company controlled all the policies and exploited the resources of the country to her benefits. In 1857, when the Indians made a collective effort to expel the British from their country, they failed and Subcontinent came under the direct rule of the British Empire. With the rise of nationalism anticolonial movements started all over the world including India. In 1885, the Indian National Congress was founded which was considered a nationalistic party fighting for an undivided India. However, the Muslims felt that the Congress was only for Hindus when they went against the partition of Bengal in 1905. Therefore, the Muslims founded a party of their own with the name of All India Muslim League. Both the major parties struggled for their objectives. The Muslim League later on made it clear that Muslims should be given either separate electorate or full independence. India was divided into two in 1947; Pakistan was separated on the basis of religion. But due to economic and political disparities, cultural differences and area gap East Pakistan became Bangladesh in 1971. The author started researching about the region in the late 70s, so he shares his personal experiences of the region in the later period. Since all of the three countries are developing, they highly depended upon foreign aids. The countries got their independence in the Cold War era which was characterized by the bipolarity. There were two major powers; the USA and the USSR. During the Cold War India was not aligned with any bloc however, she was more inclined towards USSR and Pakistan towards USA. After the partition India climbed the ladder of development in democracy and economic development whereas Pakistan lagged behind. The writer argues that the reason behind India’s development is its leadership and resources. Pakistan could never consolidate politically during her course. It has a rich history of military takeovers sabotaging the democratic process. Pakistan paid a very high cost in the shape of Bangladesh. Bangladesh came into being but she was not exempted from problems as well. Her history like that of Pakistan is also characterized by military rule.
In the last the author explains the current situation and international relations of the region. New issues are being faced by these countries with the advent of globalization and development in technology. One of the major issues is terrorism. Politicians and groups make use of terrorism to grab political power. India and Bangladesh are economically stable at the moment but Pakistan’s economy is crumbling because of corruption and lack of good governance. China is emerging as a global power. And America makes use of India to balance her offshore. Pakistan is a major non NATO ally of the USA.
Ian Talbot doesn’t just explain the political history of South Asia. He has also written about the cultural variations, the states and the overseas population of the three major states of the region. Therefore, if it is not the best, it is one of the best books on the subject. He gives an account of the background history first and then move forward with his argument of how the subcontinent divided into two and later on three countries. The book explains how foreign invasions have shaped the history of the subcontinent. When the Aryans came to the region and mixed with the natives, their culture was changed. Then in 8th century with the Muslim invasion the history of South Asia took a new direction changing the culture immensely. At last when the British took over, they established their language and imposed their culture and values on the locals.
Overall it is a good read for those who want to research on the history of the subcontinent. It narrates the history of the region in a good fashion. The writer takes his start from 18th century and finishes with current South Asian international relations. He is a writer of the postcolonial era, so his writing involves nationalistic movements and their triumph against the colonial masters. He has written other books on South Asia and they are worth reading too.

[Nida Ghulab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een goeie samenvatting van de geschiedenis van zuid Azië sinds de kolonisatie door de Britten! Blij dat dat nog werd meegegeven omdat die context nodig is om de beschrijving van het moderne zuid Azië te begrijpen.
Geschreven met een genuanceerde blik en bewust over de stereotypen die de Westerse media vaak meegeven (centrum India en perifere Pakistan en Bangladesh) en dat vond ik heel fijn!
Wel droog geschreven en moest men hoofd erbij houden, niets gelezen dat ik nog niet wist maar maakte wel de verbanden heel duidelijk. Wel een heel pessimistische toekomstschets voor Pakistan. Dat maakt me sneu maar lijkt me wel de realiteit zolang wereldleiders Pakistan blijven bekijken door een Westerse bril en op basis hiervan hulp toekennen 🤍💚