Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-242) and index.

South Asian history: an introduction -- Modernity and antiquity: interpretations of ancient India -- Pre-modern accommodation of difference: the making of Indo-Islamic cultures -- The Mughal Empire: state, economy and society -- India between empires: decline or decentralization? -- The transition to colonialism: resistance and collaboration -- The first century of British rule, 1757 to 1857: state and economy -- Company Raj and Indian society, 1757 to 1857: reinvention and reform of tradition -- 1857: rebellion, collaboration and the transition to Crown Raj -- High noon of colonialism, 1858 to 1914: state and political economy -- A nation in making? Rational reform, religious revival and Swadeshi nationalism, 1858 to 1914 -- Colonialism under siege: state and political economy after World War I -- Gandhian nationalism and mass politics: the 1920s -- The depression decade: society, economics and politics -- Nationalism and colonialism during World War II and its aftermath: economic crisis and political confrontation -- The partition of India and the demand for Pakistan 1947: its meaning and memory -- Post-colonial South Asia: state and economy, society and politics, 1947-1971 -- Post-colonial South Asia: state and economy, society and politics, 1971-2003 -- Decolonizing South Asia : the view from a new millennium.