Islam and Muslim History in South Asia

It is all too rarely realized that one third of the world’s Muslim population lives in South Asia. These Muslims have played a major part in both Islamic history and Indian history. The essays in this volume address key themes in these histories: The nature of conversion to Islam, The introduction of print and religious change among the Muslim, The move from other-worldly to this-worldly religion and the emergence of individualism, Approaches to understanding ‘secularization’ in an Islamic context, The huge impact of the events of 1857 and their aftermath on the consciousness of North Indian Muslims, The relationship between Islam and the politics of Muslim separatism, Moving beyond South Asia, the ways in which Muslim and Christian civilizations have fed off each other but, more often than not, chosen to ignore the fact. Several essays have formed part of major academic debates. The collection is rounded off by a series of responses in the form of long reviews to some of the most important contributions over the past twenty years to the Muslim history of South Asia.