When reading history--rather, anything at all--we should remember to read as many different versions as possible so as to get a bigger picture of the topic. Particularly when learning about the history of the formation of a state, we should be critical of everything we read and question the motives, the objectives and the agenda of the text. There are always at least two sides to every issue, and, without necessarily accepting or rejecting one or the other, we should at least familiarize ourselves with whatever is there so that our opinion is more informed.
I also suggest that we read more than one genre of historical writing to broaden our understanding of any particular historical event or phenomenon. These would include--besides books/textbooks--novels, movies/films, comics, letters, and so on. Each provides what the other may not, and they all can complement each other to give us a fuller, more closer to accurate depiction of the reality of something we're interested in learning about.
I also suggest that we read more than one genre of historical writing to broaden our understanding of any particular historical event or phenomenon. These would include--besides books/textbooks--novels, movies/films, comics, letters, and so on. Each provides what the other may not, and they all can complement each other to give us a fuller, more closer to accurate depiction of the reality of something we're interested in learning about.
Below, I share a list of books and films on the history of Pakistan, and I ask that if there's any book/film out there that you think should be included in the list, please feel free to share it with us.
Thanks!
In alphabetical order by the author's last name; click the title for details, reviews, etc. on each book.
Books (Non-Fiction)
- Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army and America's War on Terror, Hassan Abbas
- Jinnah, Pakistan and Islamic Identity: The Search for Saladin, Akbar Ahmed
- The Duel: Pakistan on the Flight Path of American Power, Tariq Ali
- India Wins Freedom, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad
- The Making of Pakistan: A Study in Nationalism, K. K. Aziz
- The Murder of History: A Critique of History Textbooks Used in Pakistan, K. K. Aziz
- British Imperialism in India, Joan Beauchamp
- Daughter of the East: An Autobiography, Benazir Bhutto
- The Pathans: 550 B.C.- A.D. 1957 (Oxford in Asia Historical Reprints), Olaf Caroe
- The Idea of Pakistan, Stephen Cohen
- Nonviolent Soldier of Islam: Badshah Khan: A Man to Match His Mountains, Ekneth Easwaran
- Islamic Pakistan: Illusions and reality, Abdus Sattar Ghazali
- Pakistan: Between Mosque And Military, Hussain Haqqani
- India and Pakistan: The First Fifty Years (Woodrow Wilson Center Press), Selig Harrison
- The Great Divide: Britain, India, Pakistan, H. V. Hodson
- The Scorpion's Tail: The Relentless Rise of Islamic Militants in Pakistan-And How It Threatens America, Zahid Hussain
- Pakistan: Eye of the Storm, Owen Bennett Jones
- Facts are Facts: The untold story of India's partition, Khan Abdul Wali Khan [an online version can be found at this link)
- The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan Yasmin Khan
- Democracy and Authoritarianism in South Asia: A Comparative and Historical Perspective (Contemporary South Asia, Ayesha Jalal
- The Oxford Companion to Pakistani History, Ayesha Jalal
- The Pity of Partition: Mantos Life, Times, and Work across the India-Pakistan Divide (Lawrence Stone Lectures), Ayesha Jalal
- Self and Sovereignty: Individual and Community in South Asian Islam Since 1850, Ayesha Jalal
- The Sole Spokesman: Jinnah, the Muslim League and the Demand for Pakistan (Cambridge South Asian Studies), Ayesha Jalal
- Pakistan: A Hard Country, Anatol Lieven
- Pakistan on the Brink: The Future of America, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, Ahmed Rashid
- New Perspectives on Pakistan: Visions for the Future, Saeed Shafqat
- Making Sense of Pakistan (Columbia/Hurst), Farzana Sheikh
- Pakistan: A Modern History, Ian Talbot
- Pakistan: A New History (Columbia/Hurst), Ian Talbot
- India, Pakistan and the Kashmir Dispute: On Regional Conflict and Its Resolution, Robert Wirsing
- Jinnah of Pakistan, Stanley Wolperts
- Roots of Confrontation in South Asia: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and the Superpowers, Stanley Wolpert
- Shameful Flight: The Last Years of the British Empire in India, Stanley Wolpert
To be continued. Suggestions welcomed!
- Earth: 1947, directed by Deepa Mehta
- Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters)
- Mr. Jinnah: The Making of Pakistan
- Cracking India: A Novel, by Bapsi Sidhwa
To be continued. Suggestions welcomed!
Indeed a good list to study the pre n post partition history of Pakistan.
ReplyDeleteAny one who needs to have grip on history with versatile perspective should read these books.
Thanks, Rahim Khan! Very kind of you to say.
DeleteSalaam!
ReplyDeleteGood list you have so far :)
I would also add Murder of History, British Imperialism in India, The Making of Pakistan, and some others by KK Aziz. Renowned historian and brilliant thinker. Also -- anything by Eqbal Ahmed on the topic. Although I know it's a bit hard to find his stuff, as he wasn't all to keen on documenting his words (his friend Edward Said encouraged him to do so :)
Will let you know if I think of more :)
Sania
Thank you for the recommendations, Sania! :) Greatly appreciated!
DeleteI would add "a case of exploding mangoes" in novels. Garam Hava is not strictly speaking about Pakistan, but is a movie about partition that is worth watching (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garm_Hava). Indian summer is a good book to add to your list too (http://www.amazon.com/Indian-Summer-Secret-History-Empire/dp/0312428111). And if I had magic powers, i would remove Tariq Ali's half-assed book from this list, but then, I do not have superpowers. Oh, and I think Nirad Choudhry's autobiography (second volume) "thy hand great anarch" is not directly about Pakistan, but he was an observer of that age, and a very sharp observer too.
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