Shadows At Noon

Based on decades of scholarship, this is the authoritative history of South Asia in the 20th century. Shadows at Noon tells the subcontinent's story from the British Raj through independence and partition to the forging of the modern nations of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Unlike other histories of the region which concentrate exclusively on politics, here food, leisure and the household are given as much importance as nationhood, migration and the state. Thematic rather than chronological, each chapter illuminates an overarching topic that has shaped South Asia. This format enables us to explore issues - like the changing character of the family or the 'Indian diet' - over time and in depth. Chatterji's purpose is to make contemporary South Asia - its cultural vibrancy, diversity, social structures and political make-up - intelligible to everyone. In so doing this bold, innovative and personal work rallies against standard narratives of 'inherent' differences between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and reveals the many things its people have in common.