Books in the Anthem South Asian Studies series

This is one of the first books to present a collection of writings on the effects of globalization on India and Indian society.

The Materiality of Politics uses a series of historical illustrations to reveal the physicality and underlying materiality of political processes. Volume 2, subtitled Subject Positions in Politics focuses on the political subject emerging from post-colonial politics. The 1940s are closely examined in order to trace the genesis of the modern Indian political subject, his/her dreams of liberty and recognition of freedoms qualifications. Contentious politics illuminates the dual tendency of the political subject to demand justice in court, and engage in rebellious street politics, clamouring for justice and equality. As the author demonstrates, the subjects desire for the autonomy of politics manifests itself in various ways.

Citizenship and Statelessness in Sri Lanka examines the loss of citizenship and statelessness of Indian Tamil estate workers in Sri Lanka. The loss of citizenship this community suffered over 60 years ago continues to dominate and disrupt their lives, contributing to poor working conditions, impoverishment and general marginalisation. By analysing the context of the formal agreement between the Indian and Sri Lankan government that led to the loss of citizenship Kanapathipillai reveals the economic, electoral and ideological issues that influenced the decision, and introduces gendered notions of citizenship and the agency of the workers into the discussion of the phenomenon. Citizenship and Statelessness in Sri Lanka approaches the issue from a Sri Lankan perspective, thereby bringing a distinct new voice to scholarship on this subject, which has previously focussed on the inter-governmental and foreign policy implications of the agreement. By breaking the 'view from above' approach, and listening to the 'voices from below' of the Indian Tamil workers who have suffered as a result of the agreement, Kanapathipillai successfully reframes the parameters of scholarship on this subject.

Mad Tales from the Raj is an extensively researched study of mental illness within the context of British colonialism in early nineteenth-century India. The author challenges the assumption that western medical psychology was impartial and highlights the extent to which it reflected British colonial ideology and practice. This long overdue reprint makes available in easily accessible form an authoritative assessment of western, institution-based psychiatry during the East India Companys period. It includes a fully revised introduction that locates the work in relation to recent scholarly discourse in the field of history of colonial medicine as well as additional material on the treatment of the 'native insane'. The book provides the first comprehensive account of official attitudes and practices in relation to both Indian and European patients at a time when the dictum of the 'civilising mission' guided colonial social policy towards the colonized, and mental illness among the colonizers was seen to tarnish the prestige of the ruling race. Based on archival sources and reports by medical experts, the book provides a highly readable and illuminating account of contemporary psychiatric treatment and colonial policies. It will be fascinating reading not only to students of colonial history, medical sociology and related disciplines, but to all those with a general interest in life in the colonies.

Through oral histories, interviews and fictional retellings, 'Bengal Partition Stories' unearths and articulates the collective memories of a people traumatised by the brutal division of their homeland.

'Applied Ethics and Human Rights: Conceptual Analysis and Contextual Applications' offers a philosophical perspective to ethical problems by providing an understanding of the concepts of human rights and responsibilities.

‘Aboard the Democracy Train’ is about politics and journalism in Pakistan. It is a gripping front-line account of the country’s decade of turbulent democracy (1988-1999), as told through the eyes of the only woman reporter working during the Zia era at ‘Dawn’, Pakistan’s leading English language newspaper. In this volume, the author reveals her unique experiences and coverage of ethnic violence, women’s rights and media freedoms. The narrative provides an insight into the politics of the Pak-Afghan region in the post 9-11 era, and exposes how the absence of rule of law claimed the life of its only woman prime minister.The book is set during Pakistan's decade of turbulent democracy, which began when President Gen. Zia ul Haq's military rule abruptly ended with his plane crash. Then, as the only woman reporter at the nation's leading newspaper 'Dawn', the author was closely associated with late Benazir Bhutto's bid to become and remain the nation's first woman Prime Minister.The book comes full circle from the Cold War era, when the events of September 11 forced Pakistan's military leaders to re-enter the U.S. orbit of influence. It is an account of why Benazir Bhutto fell victim to terrorism while her widower Asif Zardari is described as having taken on of the world's most daunting tasks of negotiating between a superpower and the military, amid a ferocious resurgence by the Taliban.

A key South Asian Studies title that brings together some of the best new writing on physicality in colonial India.

A rare insight into a turning point of Indian history, commemorating the second centenary of Tipu's final battle against the British at Sriranagapatnam in 1799.

"Postliberalization Indian Novels in English: Politics of Global Reception and Awards" focuses on trends in contemporary Indian novels and discusses the reception of these works at a global level.

''Institutional Provisions and Care for the Aged'' provides a detailed comparative study of social and economic issues facing the elderly in India, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands. All three countries offer interesting insights, and this book addresses a wide spectrum of issues faced by the elderly, and an understanding of the processes at work in the broader social and economic context.

'Applied Ethics and Human Rights: Conceptual Analysis and Contextual Applications' offers a philosophical perspective to ethical problems by providing an understanding of the concepts of human rights and responsibilities.

This volume critically unpacks the concept of 'political society', formulated as a response to the idea of civil society in a postcolonial context.

This volume brings together a variety of Patrick Olivelles papers on Indian ascetical institutions and ideologies that have been published over the past thirty or so years. Asceticism represents a major strand in the religious and cultural history of India, providing some of the most creative elements within Indian religions and philosophies. Most of the major religions, such as Buddhism, Jainism, and the religious philosophies both within these new religions and in the Brahmanical tradition, were created by world-renouncing ascetics. Ascetical institutions and ideologies developed in a creative tension with other religious institutions that stressed the centrality of family, procreation and society, and it is this tension that has articulated many of the central features of Indian religion and culture. The papers collected in this volume seek to locate Indian ascetical traditions within their historical, political and ideological contexts.