The Aryans: Recasting Constructs

This collection of essays, written over some years, is not intended as a definitive statement on what is often referred to as ???the Aryan question???. It is rather, an attempt to explore aspects of the theme that might further our understanding of an early period of Indian history. The constituents that went into the concept have changed from race, ethnicity and elements of nationality to language, status and culture. This has involved recasting the constructs and has inevitably been controversial. The essays attempt to explain how the constructs came to be formulated, why they changed and what might be more meaningful interrogations of this history. About The Author: Romila Thapar is Emeritus Professor of History, Jawaharlal Nehru University. A selection of her publications would include: A??oka and the Decline of the Mauryas; Early India; Ancient Indian Social History: Some Interpretations; From Lineage to State; History and Beyond; Cultural Pasts: Essays in Early Indian History, ??akuntal??: Texts, Readings, Histories and Soman??tha: the Many Voices of a History. Table of Contents Preface. Introduction. 1. The Historiography of the Concept of ???Aryan??? 2. Some Appropriations of the Theory of Aryan Race and the Beginnings of Indian History 3. Exploring Societies of the Early Past 4. The Rgveda: Encapsulating Social Change 5. The Archaeological Background to the Agnicayana Ritual. Includes maps and index.