Ram Sharan Sharma (1920–2011) was one of the pioneering historians of post-independence India. His work has shaped our understanding of Indian history as we know it today.
Sharma believed that history and theory are intimately linked, and that history is a form of knowledge which is theoretically accessible. Yet, he could combine the use of refined theoretical tools to analyse problems and communicate them in the simplest possible language. He saw historical writing as an intensely political activity and led the battle of ideas against colonialist, communal, chauvinistic and obscurantist approaches to the study of history all his life.
With the underlying goal of studying the diverse forms of state, social and political institutions, and their role in the making of history, this volume brings together contributions from some of India’s finest historians to focus on some of Sharma’s key preoccupations. Section I includes essays on sociology and history, the state, trade and urbanisation, and the shudras—highlighting recent developments, while acknowledging Sharma’s pioneering work in these areas. Section II focuses on archaeology and its use in reconstructing history, including essays on the pre-Satavahanas, Satavahanas, Ajivikas, servitude, the Kaliyuga, forced labour and peasantry, war in ancient Indian thought, and Kavya literature and historical change. The final section engages with the theory and practice of colonialism at different locations, with essays on new religious sects as exponents of radical socio-political ideas, the concept of civilisation, and womanhood.
This volume will be invaluable to all students and scholars of history.