Tonald Inden’s writings have contributed immensely to the understanding of Indian history. Written over a period of twenty years, this important collection spans three historical periods: ancient, medieval, and modern. It reflects an effective integration of historical and anthropological approaches to the study of the subcontinent. Dwelling upon issues related to caste, religion, and constructions of history, this volume showcases Inden’s seminal contribution to South Asian history. The first section offers a systematic critique of the Orientalist constructions of India. Focusing on the transition from ancient to medieval, the second section traces the transformations in the ceremony of the Great Gift and the institution of Vedic priesthood. In the third section, the author locates the role of dynamically changing caste structures in the formation of polities in the medieval period. The concluding section question notions of linear time and the teleological constructions of the past and present. In a comprehensive introduction, Daud Ali discusses how Inden’s essays reformulate the conceptions of caste, religion, and polity. For the kind of issues it raises, this book will be indispensable for researchers and students of history, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, and political science.
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