Five Punjabi Centuries: Polity, Economy, Society & Culture c. 1500-1990

The contributors to this volume belong to the disciplines of history, art history, geography, political science, economics and literature — many of them eminent in their field of interest. Their contributions make this volume multi-disciplinary, with an exceptionally wide scope, making it indispensable for all students and scholars of social sciences and humanities. Three papers cover polity, economy and society in the Mughal Punjab; six relate to state-formation, economy, society and literature of the period of Sikh rule; one deals with religion and art in the hills. A masterly essay delineates the major developments in the recent study of Pahari painting. The period of colonial rule is covered by fifteen contributors who discuss political, economic and socio-cultural developments dwelling on urban society and politics; communitarian, secular and national consciousness; agrarian and urban economy; demographic and social change; Punjabi literature; and gender relations. There are three papers on the Punjab after Independence related to political economy; the bearing of agricultural growth on urbanisation; and the movement for the Punjabi-speaking state. The essay on Professor J S Grewal’s work becomes virtually a study of new directions in the historiography of the Punjab in its political, social, economic and cultural dimensions.