The Eighteenth Century in India

Description

The eighteenth century in India was an important period of transition and remains the subject of continuing debate among scholars of late medieval and modern Indian history. The two main debates on the eighteenth century are (1) the nature of transition from a centralized Mughal polity to theemergence of regional confederations, and (2) the nature of the transformation brought about by the increasing role of the English East India Company in the economic, commercial, and financial life of the subcontinent. The themes addressed are: the nature of Mughal polity; the decline of the Mughalempire; 'economic prosperity versus the Dark Ages' thesis; and 'the continuity versus change' thesis.This volume presents extracts and selections from the key interventions in the historiographical debates, along with an introduction and a bibliography, which provide a concise and useful survey of the field for the benefit of students. Contents General Editors' Preface 1. Introduction | Seema Alavi 2. The Eighteenth Century in Indian Economic History | Irfan Habib 3. Aspects of Agrarian Uprisings in North India in the Early Eighteenth Century | Muzaffar Alam 4. Economic and Political Expansion: The Case of Awadh | P] Marshall 5. Trade and Politics in Eighteenth-century Bengal | Om Prakash 6. Epilogue to the Indian Edition | CA Bayly 7. Merchants and the Rise of Colonialism | Prasannan Parthasarathi 8. The Initial British Impact on India | Bernard S. Cohn Index Notes on Contributors