Barbara Daly Metcalf is een vooraanstaand historicus, gespecialiseerd in de geschiedenis van Zuid-Azië, met name de koloniale periode, en de evolutie van de moslimbevolking in India en Pakistan. Haar werk duikt in de ingewikkelde manieren waarop religieuze en sociale identiteiten werden gevormd door koloniaal bestuur en de krachten van modernisering. Ze biedt diepgaande inzichten in de complexe processen die het moderne Zuid-Azië hebben gesmeed. Haar werk belicht de blijvende erfenissen van deze transformerende periode.
The book explores how Islamic religious scholars in late-nineteenth-century north India adapted to the challenges posed by British colonial rule and the decline of Muslim political authority. Barbara Metcalf highlights the resilience and responses of the 'ulama as they navigated a rapidly changing socio-political landscape, emphasizing their role in preserving Islamic identity and thought during a period of significant upheaval.
In a second edition of their successful Concise History of Modern India, Barbara Metcalf and Thomas Metcalf explore India's modern history afresh and update the events of the last decade. These include the takeover of Congress from the seemingly entrenched Hindu nationalist party in 2004, India's huge advances in technology and the country's new role as a major player in world affairs. From the days of the Mughals, through the British Empire, and into Independence, the country has been transformed by its institutional structures. It is these institutions which have helped bring about the social, cultural and economic changes that have taken place over the last half century and paved the way for the modern success story. Despite these advances, poverty, social inequality and religious division still fester. In response to these dilemmas, the book grapples with questions of caste and religious identity, and the nature of the Indian nation.