ABSTRACT

The idea of transitions in Indian history emerged early when the term ‘transition’ denoted shifts from one period to another. The notion of transition itself has moved beyond being primarily economic to include dimensions of society, culture and ideology. This volume brings together scholarly works that re-examine and re-define the concept of transition by looking into a range of subjects including religion, culture, gender, caste and community networks, maritime and mercantile modes, ideas of nationalism and historiographies across geographical and temporal settings.

With contributions by leading scholars from South Asia, this book will be useful to scholars and researchers of ancient history, modern Indian history, sociology and social anthropology, and South Asian studies.

chapter |6 pages

Introduction

Rethinking transitions

part I|10 pages

Locating transitions

chapter 1|8 pages

Questioning transitions

part II|84 pages

Early India

chapter 2|17 pages

Transitions in early historic South India

A theoretical perspective

chapter 4|20 pages

Another transition debate?

Charting the movement towards the early medieval and out of it

chapter 5|15 pages

Transitions in early Tamiḻakam

Gender and religion

part III|44 pages

The sea

chapter 6|16 pages

Transitions at sea

Maritime orders and the eighteenth-century Indian Ocean

chapter 8|11 pages

Introduction of British consular jurisdiction to Zanzibar

Indian merchants in a judicial transition

part IV|20 pages

Numismatics

chapter 9|18 pages

Understanding transitions in Indian history

In the light of numismatics evidence

part V|50 pages

Colonial India

chapter 11|9 pages

Relocating caste

The politics of communalism in early twentieth-century Bombay

chapter 12|13 pages

Marathi theatre in transition

chapter 13|13 pages

Shaming the self, negating history

Advent of evangelicals and transformation of a community in colonial North East India

part VI|25 pages

Regions

chapter 14|13 pages

Transition in Tibet

The end of Bon and a warrior nation and the rise of Buddhism

chapter 15|10 pages

Transitions in Malabar

Rethinking history