What do you think?
Rate this book
Very Short Introductions #540
Modern India: A Very Short Introduction
India is widely recognized as a new global powerhouse. It has become one of the world's emerging powers, rivaling China in terms of global influence. Yet people still know relatively little about the economic, social, political, and cultural changes unfolding in India today. To what extent are people benefiting from the economic boom? Does caste still exist in India? How is India's culture industry responding to technological change? And what of India's rapidly changing role internationally?
This Very Short Introduction looks at the exciting world of change in contemporary India. Craig Jeffrey provides a compelling account of the recent history of the nation, investigating the contradictions that are plaguing modern India and the manner in which people, especially young people, are actively remaking the country in the twenty first century. One thing is India is a country that is going to become increasingly important for the world over the coming decades.
ABOUT THE SERIES : The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
This Very Short Introduction looks at the exciting world of change in contemporary India. Craig Jeffrey provides a compelling account of the recent history of the nation, investigating the contradictions that are plaguing modern India and the manner in which people, especially young people, are actively remaking the country in the twenty first century. One thing is India is a country that is going to become increasingly important for the world over the coming decades.
ABOUT THE SERIES : The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
160 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2018
35 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 10, 2018
A concise 120 odd page introduction to Modern India , it's ambitious sprawl covers history from Mughals to Modi and also finds space for the country's economy,education,health ,NGOs and demographic dividend. Recommended for non-Indians who need a very brief but enlightening introduction to the wonder that is India.
March 10, 2023
Indispensable book given the poor / terrible / dreadful / awful (="médiocre" / "terrible" / "affreuse" / "épouvantable") quality of my English course on India... yes, the teacher adds synonyms and French translations for every "difficult" word, making the lecture notes basically unreadable. Very grateful to the Oxford University Press for these short but insightful primers, I learnt a lot!
February 6, 2019
This little book is great! It gives a brief overview of things like the British Colonial period, India's independence (gained in 1947), and their economic, political and social structures. This is the first book I've read on India so I can't vouch for its accuracy, but it is put out by a reputable source (Oxford University Press), I did feel like the author tried to present multiple sides of the topics covered and he examined what he called the many contradictions of India showing the complexity of its history/situation. He also tried to dispel common misconceptions (like that India is inherently Hindu and that it is inherently poor, even though there are movements to make India a Hindu nation and some of the economic strategies have either backfired or have technically succeeded but also have contributed to the widening of the gap in economic status).
The author goes back as far as the 16th century (briefly) and covers aspects of India's history like the positive and negative impact of the British in India, the different leaders that have had authority since they gained their independence, the religious movements in the country, the partition that occurred, the different economic/industrial/agricultural trends, their education and the role of their huge youth population (apparently 1 in 10 people in the world is an Indian young person), the caste system, their cultural influences, foreign affairs and many others! I learned a lot (including some very dramatic facts that I knew nothing about) and it's already providing a great backdrop to other books that I want to read that mention things that this book covers.
This book is really quick and easy to read and it has an index in the back for future reference (as well as a list for further reading). I borrowed this from the library but I think I will probably buy a copy. It's been a really helpful first exposure to things that I can fill in with greater depth/perspective through future reading. This book is part of a "Very Short Introduction" series with dozens of other topics available. So far I'm impressed!
The author goes back as far as the 16th century (briefly) and covers aspects of India's history like the positive and negative impact of the British in India, the different leaders that have had authority since they gained their independence, the religious movements in the country, the partition that occurred, the different economic/industrial/agricultural trends, their education and the role of their huge youth population (apparently 1 in 10 people in the world is an Indian young person), the caste system, their cultural influences, foreign affairs and many others! I learned a lot (including some very dramatic facts that I knew nothing about) and it's already providing a great backdrop to other books that I want to read that mention things that this book covers.
This book is really quick and easy to read and it has an index in the back for future reference (as well as a list for further reading). I borrowed this from the library but I think I will probably buy a copy. It's been a really helpful first exposure to things that I can fill in with greater depth/perspective through future reading. This book is part of a "Very Short Introduction" series with dozens of other topics available. So far I'm impressed!
Read
October 28, 2021Excellent introduction to India. Covers everything from impoverishment of the country that resulted from the British Raj to Young in India suffering from unemployment, underemployment and poor health care/education etc., It covers social injustices unique to India like caste and reservation politics pretty well. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to learn about the world's largest democracy.
March 27, 2024
Good scholarship here. The author uses 3 personal narratives as an introduction to the introduction giving us 3 people whose experiences form a reference point for the reader. It's a clever mechanism.
We definitely get an intro to India from the eve of Independence to the present.
The book leaves us with a mixed bag of progress and regression. The fact that PM Modi is himself from a lower status is a highlight of the way in which India has become more democratic and is no longer ruled solely by an elite upper class.
On the other hand, as the idea of India has become more narrow and defined by modern Hindu nationalism there are signs of a regression from the very different India that was the dream of Gandhi, Nehru, Congress and others.
I read this simultaneously with the Very Short Intro to Pakistan (which is slightly newer) and together they go a long way to explain the tensions at the heart of the identity crisis of these two countries. (I suppose I should pick up a book on Bangladesh too to cover the other part of this story).
I recommend this book as a place to start.
We definitely get an intro to India from the eve of Independence to the present.
The book leaves us with a mixed bag of progress and regression. The fact that PM Modi is himself from a lower status is a highlight of the way in which India has become more democratic and is no longer ruled solely by an elite upper class.
On the other hand, as the idea of India has become more narrow and defined by modern Hindu nationalism there are signs of a regression from the very different India that was the dream of Gandhi, Nehru, Congress and others.
I read this simultaneously with the Very Short Intro to Pakistan (which is slightly newer) and together they go a long way to explain the tensions at the heart of the identity crisis of these two countries. (I suppose I should pick up a book on Bangladesh too to cover the other part of this story).
I recommend this book as a place to start.
Read
June 28, 2023ashamed to say this might be one of the first books on Indian history I've ever read. Unformed stupid thought: here I see a model of politics that is completely alien to what I'm used to. Because of communism in some cases or colonialism and the cold war in other cases, in much of the so-called "third world," political debates revolve around problematics that make sense to my Western perspective -- I can identify the left and the right, sort of -- but in India, it's difficult for me to impose my definitions and frameworks on the terrain of social conflict.
October 29, 2019
This book Modern India basically deals with the story of India from the Advent of British Raj to Modi's India of 2016 .
117 pages of VSI too little space to deal with such a vast topic. But still is a very good work done by the Author.
I will say this is a collection of linked essay on some selected topics of contemporary India.
This book contain some very interesting facts about India.
Overall it was a good read
117 pages of VSI too little space to deal with such a vast topic. But still is a very good work done by the Author.
I will say this is a collection of linked essay on some selected topics of contemporary India.
This book contain some very interesting facts about India.
Overall it was a good read
March 25, 2020
Got this book for my recent (and first) trip to India. Really good insight into the recent political developments, the key themes facing India and the interesting ways in which society tries to improve itself.
December 31, 2021
Concise and very reader friendly. Overall, a great introduction. However, one should always take books like these with a grain of salt as to their impartiality when presenting historical narratives and political interpretation. My biggest issue was this: why doesn't this book include a map?!
September 16, 2024
Lots of good factoids and a nice whistle stop history of colonialism in there too. I didn’t like the use of characters to illustrate themes. Found it hard to hold the names in mind after their brief intros
January 5, 2019
Very concise.
January 16, 2020
Informative, but dry, dry, dry. On the other hand, it certainly is Very Short.
February 16, 2024
a wonderful introduction to India! it was straightforward, insightful, and sensitive to the issues relating to modern India. would recommend!
January 25, 2025
As the title states, it is a concise Introduction. But it gives great insight into their culture. Enjoy!
January 12, 2024
A good example of the genre. Some literary devices seem added hurriedly after the editor asked to make the book more human
February 4, 2022
Context is everything
The author attempts to squeeze a lot of information about India into a tiny book. It helped that he weaved in personal stories of people living there. Coupled with telling the history of India, the author provided context for each person's plight. That's the part.
The downside to reading this book is a mixed bag of sorts. I found myself looking up terms and names of groups of people I knew nothing about. In another instance, I felt the author buried a lead that would have provided a better understanding sooner, and lead exists in one of the later chapters.
Despite the flaws, I enjoyed reading the book.
The author attempts to squeeze a lot of information about India into a tiny book. It helped that he weaved in personal stories of people living there. Coupled with telling the history of India, the author provided context for each person's plight. That's the part.
The downside to reading this book is a mixed bag of sorts. I found myself looking up terms and names of groups of people I knew nothing about. In another instance, I felt the author buried a lead that would have provided a better understanding sooner, and lead exists in one of the later chapters.
Despite the flaws, I enjoyed reading the book.
Read
September 10, 2018honestly, this is just another short, uncreative chronological history of India, instead of a thematic exploration of social aspects of Modern India today. It lists important events during the British occupation, during Gandhi's quiet revolt, during Nehru's leadership, so on and so forth.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews