In Ghostly Past, Capitalist Presence, Tithi Bhattacharya maps the role that Bengali ghosts and ghost stories played in constituting the modern Indian nation, and the religious ideas seeded therein, as it emerged in dialogue with European science...

The internationally bestselling author of The Anarchy returns with a sparkling, soaring history of ideas, tracing South Asia's under-recognized role in producing the world as we know it.For a millennium and a half, India was a confident exporter of its...

A dazzling new history of the Indian subcontinent and its diverse peoples in global context—from antiquity to todayMuch of world history is Indian history. Home today to one in four people, the subcontinent has long been densely populated and deeply...

"If it isn't obvious from the title of this book that this is going to be full of postmodern jargon, it becomes clear quite quickly that Chaterjee prefers difficult terms like 'problematic', 'thematic' and 'discourse' without always defining them - he...

Queer Vietnam recovers the forgotten stories of variant genders and sexualities in early twentieth-century Vietnam. By the beginning of the 1900s, European imperialism had spread Western notions of gender across much of Asia, narrowing and delegitimizing...

Set against feminist discourse, this title looks at the iconography of the Indian woman. Traced over the century these images suggest an extraordinary transformation in imaging the Indian woman, as manifested in painting, photography, popular posters and...

An inventive translation of a great historical epic, and the oldest surviving literary work in the Mongolian language, recounting the turbulent life and times of Genghis Khan and his Dothraki-like, nomadic horse lordsA Penguin ClassicThe Secret History...

From sleepy fishing village to samurai capital to vibrant global metropolis, Eiko Maruko Siniawer takes readers through Tokyo's rich history, revealing four centuries of transformation deeply woven into its fabric. This accessible guide introduces a...

How did India aspire to become a secular country? Given our colonial past, we derive many of our laws and institutions from England. We have a parliamentary democracy with a Westminster model of government. Our courts routinely use catchphrases like...

At once a fascinating account of the birth of modern China and a moving chronicle of courage, creativity, and resistance.The riveting story of China's rise from economic ruin to global giant in the past four decades is illuminated by another, equally...

"It is impossible to understand China today without understanding the Cultural Revolution," Tania Branigan writes. During this decade of Maoist fanaticism between 1966 and 1976, children turned on parents, students condemned teachers, and as many as two...

Interviewing the turbulent recent events in China with her own personal life story and those of family, friends, and acquaintances, the author creates an evocative portrait of China and its people

A deeply reported investigation into the battle over identity in China, chronicling the state oppression of those who fail to conform to Xi Jinping's definition of who is "Chinese," from an award-winning NPR correspondent.In the hot summer months of...

The astonishing story of the billionaire businessman Jimmy Lai who became one of Hong Kong’s leading activists for democracy and is today China’s most famous political prisoner.Jimmy Lai escaped mainland China when he was twelve years old, at the height...

FINALIST FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE"A murder mystery, travelogue, and deeply felt homage to Romig's adopted country. Reading it will inform and outrage you. (It will also make you crave a dosa)."—Suketu Mehta, author of Maximum City“Romig makes for a...