It can be said of South Asia what has long been said of its great epic poem, the Mahabharata: "there is nothing in it that cannot be found elsewhere in the world and nothing in the world that cannot be found there." South Asia's historic trans-regional connections to the wider world include the trade between its most ancient civilization with Sumer and central Asia, the diffusion beyond its shores of three of the world's major religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), its cultural encounters with the Greeks, Islam, European imperialism, the spread of it cuisine (from crystalized sugar to "curry"), and its architecture (including the world's most recognized building, the Taj Mahal). While these connections have insured that South Asia has always loomed large in the consideration of the world's collective past, its societies are currently undergoing a transformation that may enable them to rival the United States and China as the world's largest economy. This study employs accessible language and an engaging narrative to provide insight into how world historical processes, from changes in environment to the movement of peoples and ideas, have shaped and continue to shape the history of South Asia and its place in the wider world.

About the Author
Marc Jason Gilbert is the NEH Endowed Chair of World History at Hawai'i Pacific University. A founding member of the World History Association, he has edited or authored numerous books on modern South and Southeast Asian history, including The Vietnam War: Teaching Approaches and Resources and World Civilizations: The Global Experience.

Reviews
[T]his is a useful work to introduce students to South Asian history. * CHOICE *
South Asia in World History is a masterful survey of the entire span of South Asian history ... erudite, comprehensive, and compelling ... Gilbert brilliantly offers a lucid analysis that the neophyte to the subject will find illuminating and rewarding. It judiciously blends analysis and fact in an accessible, yet authoritative manner and incorporates all the corners of the sub-continent into the story ... an excellent introduction to both South Asia's complex and rich history and its place in the world. * Roger D. Long, professor of history at Eastern Michigan University and author of A History of Pakistan *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199760343
Author Marc Jason Gilbert
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 356g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 155mm * 15mm