First published in 1909, the purpose of this book was to draw attention to the political, social and religious changes that were taking place in India and detail how this should inform British colonial policy. The author argues that the political situation demanded decisive action as several factors had caused increasing difficulties in administration: waning enthusiasm on the part of English officials, greater tension between the governors and the governed — often caused by colonial arrogance which had been brought into sharper relief by spread of education and the growth of patriotic feeling. He also argues that the crux of India’s economic difficulties was the poverty of its people and asserts that the solution to both problems was the ‘sympathetic and systematic encouragement of her legitimate aspirations and patriotic tendencies’. In regard to the social and religious changes, the author observes that the changes are not less considerable and advises that the government should, as far as was possible, maintain the existing basis by a policy of ‘wise conservation’. This book will be of interest to students of Indian history and colonialism.

First published in 1938, this book aims to provide a history of the rise and growth of the Indian National Congress for the general reader, covering the period from its foundation in 1885 until the beginning of the non-co-operation movement in 1920. It was intended to extend the official history of the Congress by Pattabhi Sitarammayya by making it more accessible to western readers while also giving more space to the religious and social forces in Indian history during the nineteenth century which led to the birth of the congress. It also looks at forerunner organisations like The British Indian Association before examining the history and evolution of the congress in several phases.

First published in 1982, this book is inspired the ideas generated by Eric Hobsbawm, and has taken shape around a unifying preoccupation with the symbolic order and its relationship to political and religious belief. It explores some of the oldest question in Marxist historiography, for example the relationship of ‘base’ and ‘superstructure’, art and social life, and also some of the newest and most problematic questions, such as the relationship of dreams and fantasy to political action, or of past and present — historical consciousness — to the making of ideology. The essays, which range widely over period and place, are intended to break new ground and take on difficult questions.

Events in the Indian sub-continent during the 1970s, where, in the summer of 1975, the ruling party engineered a ‘constitutional’ coup by declaring a national emergency, re-emphasised the need for a fuller understanding of India’s social system and people. First published the following year, in 1976, Inside India Today attempted to fulfil that need. Drawing on personal interviews, conducted during his two years’ travels throughout the country collecting a mass of first hand evidence, and on various surveys and studies published in the press, the author sketches a broad portrait of Indian life in the villages and cities. Hiro relates this research to the existing socio-political structure of the time: the constitutional framework, the electoral system, the performance of the Indian National Congress and the Communist system. Written in an accessible, engaging style and containing a wealth of information and insight, Inside India Today is a major contribution towards the scholarship surrounding this complex and fascinating country.

First published in 1986, this book sets Kipling firmly in the historical context not only of contemporary India but of prior Anglo-Indian writers about India. Despite his enthusiastic reception in England as ‘revealer of the East’, in India he seems to have been regarded as just one more Anglo-Indian writer. The author demonstrates the traditionalism of Kipling’s use of the themes of Anglo-Indian fiction – themes such as the ‘White Man’s grave’, domestic instability, frustration and loneliness. In particular, Kipling is shown to be writing in a strongly conservative idiom, concentrating on the role of the British hierarchy as the determining factor in a response to India, on British insecurity and fears of a repeat of the 1857 mutiny, and regarding Indian institutions only in so far as they represented a threat to British rule. Conservative critiques of liberalism are also discussed.

Few architectural styles evoke so strong a sense of place as Pueblo architecture. This book brings together experts from architecture and art, archaeology and anthropology, philosophy and history, considering Pueblo style not simply architecturally, but within its cultural, religious, economic, and climate contexts as well. The product of successive layers of Pueblo Indian, Spanish, and Anglo influences, contemporary Pueblo style is above all seen as a harmonious response to the magnificent landscape from which it emerged. Pueblo Style and Regional Architecture, first published in 1990, is a unique and thorough study of this enduring regional style, a sourcebook that will inform and inspire architects and designers, as well as fascinate those interested in the anthropology, culture, art, and history of the American Southwest.

First published in 1996, this encyclopedia is a comprehensive reference resource that pulls together a vast amount of material on a rich historical era, presenting it in a balanced way that offers hard-to-find facts and detailed information. The volume was the first encyclopedic account of the United States' colonial military experience. It features 650 essays by more than 130 historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, geographers, and other scholarly experts on a variety of topics that cover all of colonial America's diverse peoples. In addition to wars, battles, and treaties, analytical essays explore the diplomatic and military history of over 50 Native American groups, as well as Dutch, English, French, Spanish, and Swiss colonies. It's the first source to consult for the political activities of an Indian nation, the details about the disposition of forces in a battle, or the significance of a fort to its size, location, and strength. In addition to its reference capabilities, the book's detailed material has been, and will continue to be highly useful to students as a supplementary text and as a handy source for reporters and papers.

First published in 1985, this book provides a comprehensive reappraisal of the diverse Communist development strategies that shaped the twentieth century. Robert Bideleux emphasises the appalling human and economic costs of the most widely adopted ‘Stalinist’ strategies of forced industrialisation and rural collectivisation. He also reconsiders the powerful arguments in favour of the most feasible and cost-effective alternatives to Stalinism, including ‘village communisms’ and ‘market socialisms’. A highly readable and challenging study, this reissue will be of particular value to students with research interests in Development Studies, East European History and Politics.

First published in 1929, this book was intended to explain, "with documentary evidence", the main principles and ideas for which Gandhi had stood over the course of his career up until that point. The author draws upon his long and intimate personal relationship with Gandhi to give an authoritative and individual account of a man whose politics and philosophy has invited continuing analysis — extended with illustrative selections from his speeches and writings. The context in which Gandhi’s ideas were formed and developed provides the focus for this book with the first part examining the religious environment and the second the historical setting.

Of the five major sociologists whose views on Indian society are assessed in this work, originally published in 1979, Marx and Weber made a special study of the subject and had something definite to say about the future of Indian society. Herbert Spencer was primarily concerned with the effects of colonial rule on India’s progress, while Durkheim and Pareto tended to observe Indian society from a comparative point of view. However, as this study shows, all five sociologists touched on two special aspects of Indian society – Indian religion and the caste system. The other features of Indian society which they discussed in their various writings range widely from marriage and family structure, through village communities and the social structure of cities, to political organization, the educational system, economic conditions, and the future progress of Indian society. Dr Madan demonstrates the correctness of Marx’s contention that the political subordination of India was the one great hindrance to the future progress of Indian Society. He points out, though, that Marx failed to see clearly the effects of the caste system on economic development, and shows that this aspect was more correctly assessed by Max Weber. On the other hand, in Dr Madan’s view, Weber’s observation that Indian religion was ‘other-worldly’ and therefore a great obstacle to progress in Indian society lacked incisiveness. By focusing on a neglected aspect of the writings of five of the great figures in sociology, the book gives a new insight into their work, and at the same time highlights many hitherto unrecognized facets of India’s complex social structure.