Shadows at noon : the South Asian twentieth century / Joya Chatterji

incl. bibliographies and index.

Maps -- Note on Names -- Introduction -- Contents -- 1 The Age of Nationalisms: Competing Visions -- 2 Citizenship and Nation-building after Independence:
South Asian Experiences -- 3 The State in South Asia: A Biography -- 4 Migration at Home and Abroad: South Asian Diasporas -- 5 The Household, Marriage and the Family -- 6 Fasting, Feasting, Gluttony and Starvation: Consumption, Caste and the Politics of Food in -- South Asia -- 7 Leisure, Twentieth-century Style --Epilogue -- A Note on Further Viewing -- Acknowledgements -- Glossary -- Picture Credits -- Notes -- Index

"Shadows at Noon is an ambitious synthesis of decades of research and scholarship which explores the key strands of South Asian history in the twentieth century with clarity and authority. Unlike other narrative histories of the subcontinent that concentrate exclusively on politics, here food, leisure and the household are given equal importance to discussions of nationhood, the development of the state and patterns of migration.
While it tells the subcontinent’s story from the British Raj to independence and partition and on to the forging of the modern nations of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the book’s structure is thematic rather than chronological. Each of the chapters illuminates on overarching theme or sphere that has shaped South Asia over the course of the century. This format allows the reader to explore particular issues – such as the changing character of nationalism or food consumption – over time and in depth.
Shadows at Noon is a bold, innovative and personal work that pushes back against standard narratives of ‘inherent’ differences between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Its purpose is to make contemporary South Asia intelligible to readers who are fascinated by the subcontinent’s cultural vibrancy and diversity but are often perplexed by its social and political make-up. And it illuminates the many aspects that its people have in common rather than what divides them." -- Provided by publisher