Taylor and Francis

Taylor and Francis

English

"The book is based on meticulous archival research into the Gujarat region and its ‘formation’ in the domains of literature, history and geography. As such it unravels the history of the ‘making’ of Gujarat as a region and problematizes the multi-layered identities of the Gujarati people. A work of deep scholarship, it makes an immense contribution to knowledge. Its simple, lucid prose, well delineated themes and sections make it very accessible. The book is remarkably jargon-free and should be accessible to students and the general reader interested in contemporary Indian history." Gyanesh Kudaisya, National University of Singapore "Conceptually the book is brilliant, taking a modern language from its emergence, through its evolution in the hands of some of its most powerful early writers, its contact with outside influences, the ways in which its leading proponents used it and built institutions to promote it, its role in creating a new society, a new state, and a new nation. No other book brings together the many different eras of historical development of Gujarati into a single framework." Howard Spodek, Temple University, USA