David Arnold is Professor of South Asian History at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London.Stuart Blackburn is Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London.

"This book serves as a window into the rich and revealing lives and self-representations of the particular individuals who have produced the life histories. In so doing, it makes very important broader points about the use of life histories in social science research in general and in the study of South Asian social-cultural life in particular." --Sarah Lamb

• 1. Introduction: Life Histories in India David Arnold and Stuart BlackburnPART ONE: CONFRONTING MODERNITY2. The Self and the Cell: Indian Prison Narratives as Life Histories David Arnold3. The Reticent Autobiographer: Mahadevi Varma's Writings Francesca Orsini4. The Invention of Private Life: A Reading of Sibnath Sastri's Autobiography Sudipta KavirajPART TWO: TRANSLATING TRADITION5. The Shaik Tells His Own Story: Instruction, Pleasure, and Blessing in Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya's Aap Biitii Barbara D. Metcalf6. Hamara Daur-I Hayat: An Indian Muslim Woman Writes Her Life Sylvia Vatuk7. Cowherd or King? The Sanskrit Biography of Ananda Ranga Pillai David Shulman8. Life-History as Narrative Strategy: Prophecy, Song, and Truth-Telling in Tamil Tales and Legends Stuart BlackburnPART THREE: SPOKEN LIVES9. "Honor is Honor, After All:" Silence and Speech in the Life Stories of Women in Kangra, Northwest India Kirin Narayan10. Beyond Silence: A Dalit Life History Josiane Racine and Jean-Luc Racine11. The Marital History of "A Thumb-Impression Man" Jonathan P. Parry

David Arnold is Professor of South Asian History at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London.Stuart Blackburn is Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London.

"This book serves as a window into the rich and revealing lives and self-representations of the particular individuals who have produced the life histories. In so doing, it makes very important broader points about the use of life histories in social science research in general and in the study of South Asian social-cultural life in particular." --Sarah Lamb

• 1. Introduction: Life Histories in India David Arnold and Stuart BlackburnPART ONE: CONFRONTING MODERNITY2. The Self and the Cell: Indian Prison Narratives as Life Histories David Arnold3. The Reticent Autobiographer: Mahadevi Varma's Writings Francesca Orsini4. The Invention of Private Life: A Reading of Sibnath Sastri's Autobiography Sudipta KavirajPART TWO: TRANSLATING TRADITION5. The Shaik Tells His Own Story: Instruction, Pleasure, and Blessing in Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya's Aap Biitii Barbara D. Metcalf6. Hamara Daur-I Hayat: An Indian Muslim Woman Writes Her Life Sylvia Vatuk7. Cowherd or King? The Sanskrit Biography of Ananda Ranga Pillai David Shulman8. Life-History as Narrative Strategy: Prophecy, Song, and Truth-Telling in Tamil Tales and Legends Stuart BlackburnPART THREE: SPOKEN LIVES9. "Honor is Honor, After All:" Silence and Speech in the Life Stories of Women in Kangra, Northwest India Kirin Narayan10. Beyond Silence: A Dalit Life History Josiane Racine and Jean-Luc Racine11. The Marital History of "A Thumb-Impression Man" Jonathan P. Parry

David Arnold is Professor of South Asian History at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London.Stuart Blackburn is Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London.

"This book serves as a window into the rich and revealing lives and self-representations of the particular individuals who have produced the life histories. In so doing, it makes very important broader points about the use of life histories in social science research in general and in the study of South Asian social-cultural life in particular." --Sarah Lamb

• 1. Introduction: Life Histories in India David Arnold and Stuart BlackburnPART ONE: CONFRONTING MODERNITY2. The Self and the Cell: Indian Prison Narratives as Life Histories David Arnold3. The Reticent Autobiographer: Mahadevi Varma's Writings Francesca Orsini4. The Invention of Private Life: A Reading of Sibnath Sastri's Autobiography Sudipta KavirajPART TWO: TRANSLATING TRADITION5. The Shaik Tells His Own Story: Instruction, Pleasure, and Blessing in Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya's Aap Biitii Barbara D. Metcalf6. Hamara Daur-I Hayat: An Indian Muslim Woman Writes Her Life Sylvia Vatuk7. Cowherd or King? The Sanskrit Biography of Ananda Ranga Pillai David Shulman8. Life-History as Narrative Strategy: Prophecy, Song, and Truth-Telling in Tamil Tales and Legends Stuart BlackburnPART THREE: SPOKEN LIVES9. "Honor is Honor, After All:" Silence and Speech in the Life Stories of Women in Kangra, Northwest India Kirin Narayan10. Beyond Silence: A Dalit Life History Josiane Racine and Jean-Luc Racine11. The Marital History of "A Thumb-Impression Man" Jonathan P. Parry