Books

The following books are available to educators in the Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Hawaii, British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alberta. To order any of these books, call, write or e-mail:

South Asia Center
University of Washington
303 Thomson Hall, Box 353650
Seattle, WA 98195
(206) 543-4800
sascuw@u.washington.edu

• Aggarwal, Manju. I am a Hindu Franklin Watts Ltd. London, 1984. Looks at Hinduism through the eyes of a young North Indian girl living in Britain. Photographs show home-life and places of worship.

• Akland, Robert F. City Experiences: Focus on Modern India Educational Resource Center. University of the State of New York. New Delhi, 1978. Purpose: to provide information about India’s urban peoples and to show the extent of modernization in India’s cities. Focus is on economic conditions and not directly related social and cultural changes that are also taking place.

• Ashton, Stephen. Indian Independence.Batsford Academic and Educational. London, 1985. (Living Through History Series). India’s independence movement as told through the biographies of British officials, Indian nationalists, and The British, Indian and Anglo-Indian communities.

• Ayyar, P.V. Jagadisa, South Indian Customs Describes many South Indian customs, mostly of a religious nature. 167 pages. Rupa Books.

• The British in India: From Trade to Empire.B.T. Bradford Ltd. London, 1987. (People on the Move Series). For 12-16 year olds. The author looks at the British who went to India, the lives they had there and the impact they made on India and that India had on them.

• Bahree, Patricia. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh: A Handbook for Teachers.Extramural Division. School of Oriental and African Studies. University of London, 1982. (reprinted 1987). Handbook has three main sections, focusing on South Asia in the history, geography and religious education classroom. Also includes a list of books on art and architecture of South Asia and bibliography of novels and short stories relevant to the region. Contains two types of materials: outlines of various possible topics for the classroom and lists of books and audiovisual aids which might be used.

• Beach, Milo Cleveland. The Adventures of Rama. Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution. Washington, D.C., 1983. Tells the story of the epic Ramayana with illustrations from a sixteenth century Mughal manuscript.

• Belasco, Milton Jay and Harold E. Hammond. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh: History, People and Culture. Globe Book Company Inc. New York, 1981. Third revised edition. Part of the Regional Studies Series. Textbook.

• Beteille, Esha and Charles Heimsath. Indian Women. Educational Resources Center. University of the Sate of New York. New Delhi, 1980-. News and Reviews from the ERC series. Reviews selected books published in India on Indian women.

• Bingham, Marjorie Wall and Susan Hill Gross. Women in Islam: the Ancient Middle East to Modern Times. Gary E. McCuen Publications, Inc. Hudson, Wisconsin, 1980. Focus is on women in the Middle East rather than South Asia but information on Islam is useful.

• Brace, Steve, Country Studies: India, a 64 page book intended for primary and middle school levels. Includes chapters on Introducing India, Population Change and Urbanization, Rural Development, Development and Economic Growth, Regional and National Development, and India’s Future. Reed Educational and Professional Publishing.

• Children’s Colouring Book. Based on the exhibition “Sringar: A Pageant of Indian Costumes,” presented by Air India and the Commonwealth Institute in London. Pages can be copied for classroom use.

• Clayton, Elspeth, World Focus: Pakistan, a 31 page introduction to Pakistan, with a specific look at the village of Baqar Nizamani as well as at people, agriculture, industry, travel and leisure time. Produced in association with Oxfam America

• Cooking South Asia.. Center for South Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin. Madison, 1986. Information about South Asian food and recipes.

• Dimensions: Countries and Cultures. Science Research Associates, Inc. Chicago, 1970. Student Book. Readings with questions.

• Dutt, Ashok K. and M. Margaret Geib. Atlas of South Asia. Westview Press. Boulder, 1987. The authors examine climate religion, physical features, historical settings, political and administrative systems, agriculture and industry, natural resources, trade, transportation, and demographic characteristics.

• Erdman, Joad L. and Judith A. Benade. The South Asia Outreach Handbook. South Asia Language and Area Studies Center. University of Chicago. Chicago, 1986. Written for teachers and faculty members who want to know what South Asia outreach seeks to accomplish and who wish to use South Asia outreach services for developing their courses and syllabi. Includes: resources for the study of and for teaching about South Asia, listing of textbooks, South Asia centers, sources of information on South Asia, organizations concerned with South Asia in the US, and newsletters and journals concerned with South Asia in the US.

• Farmer, B.H. An Introduction to South Asia.Methuen & Co. New York, 1983. Topics include: the environments of South Asia both natural and social, the British period and the coming of independence, international relations, and economic and political developments within South Asia since independence.

• Fersh Seymour, ed. Learning About Peoples and Cultures. McDougal, Littel and Co. Evanston, Illinois, 1974.

• Festivals of the World: India: This 32 page book describes some Indian festivals including Holi, Divali, Republic Day and Raksha Bandhan, and also has suggested activities related to these holidays and festivals. Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2001.

• Food In India, International Food Library, 1989. A short (32 p.) book which includes basic descriptions of foodways, agriculture and festival foods of various regions of India, recipes for North and South Indian meals, and a glossary of cooking terms.

• Garfunkel, Jon and The Milarepa Fund When the Iron Bird Flies.An extensive collection of primary, secondary, and reference source materials assembled to help educators and students learn about Tibet and raise greater awareness about the Tibetan situation.

• Gross, Susan Hill and Marjorie Wall Bingham. Women in India: Vedic to Modern Times. Gary E. McCuen Publications, Inc. Hudson, Wisconsin, 1980. Contents: Women in Early Indian History, Complexities of Hindu Marriage, Women’ Loss of Status and Its Effects, Diversity of Roles, Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Reform, Women in Twentieth Century India. Also includes bibliography on women in India, glossary and chronology of Indian women’s history and culture.

• Gross, Susan Hill and Mary Hill Rojas. Contemporary Issues For Women in South Asia: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan. Glen Hurst Publications. St. Louis Park, MN.: 1989. A global education unit with audiovisual components for grades 8-12. Includes a teacher manual, student handouts, slide set (“Who Are Third World Women:), and video formal version of a filmstrip (“Women and Work in South Asia”). Focuses on the concerns and contributions of women in South Asia. Topics include the sex ratio imbalance in some areas, women’s role in family planning, the invisibility of much of their economic contributions to their families and countries, and women organizing to become change agents.

• Gyatso, Tenzin. Compassion and the. Wisdom Publications. Boston, 1991. Part of the Tibet Educational Reader and Resource Package.A booklet written by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet that explains “why compassion is so inseperable from our human nature and how at any moment we can tap into and develop this birthright.”

• Hanson, Carol, Peggy Mueller and Marilyn Turkovich. Shilpa: Folk Dances, Music, Crafts and Puppetry of India. Educational Resources Center, University of the State of New York, Education Department. Revised 1990. Divided into four curriculum sections. Contains step by step instructions on folk art design and puppet making. Indian folk songs are written in staff notation. Includes: a guide for integrating activities into subject areas, age level charts for puppetry, cultural information, suggestions for curriculum expansion and bibliography.

• Hanson, Carol, Peggy Mueller and Marilyn Turkovich. Experiencing Indian Languages.Associated Colleges of the Midwest Urban Education Program. Chicago, 1982. A working manual with three primary purposes: to introduce the reader to the languages of India, to show through activities and research the contributions of Indian languages to English, and to elicit discussion about the challenges and advantages of multilingualism in one country.

• Hantula, James N. Introducing Asian Studies in Elementary Education: China and India.No. 3 Service Center for Teachers of Asian Studies, Association for Asian Studies, Ohio State University. Columbus, April, 1972. Students are introduced to rural and urban South Asia. By planning a vicarious trip to India, the student begins to investigate what he takes along on the trip by way of his won culture.

• Harrison, Barbara J. Learning About India: An Annotated Guide for Nonspecialists.State University of New York. 1977. Contents: On Understanding India, On Teaching India, Textbook Images of India, Bibliography, Audio-Visual Materials, Source Materials including periodicals, teaching aids and guides, Resource Centers, and Museum Collections of South Asian Art.

• Haskins, Jim. Count Your Way Through India. Carolrhoda Books. Minneapolis, 1990. Counts to ten in Hindi. Each number is an opportunity to explore some aspect of Indian culture of history: for example, five days of the Indian festival of Diwali, seven spices commonly used in Indian cooking, nine important wildlife species of India.

• The Himalayas. Includes articles on: Tibet: A State of Mind (Holand Cotter); LordVishnu and the Kings of Nepal (Mary Shepherd Slusser); Anige, Himalayan Artist in Khubilai Khan’s Court (Anning Jing); Mustang, the Ancient Kingdom of Lo (Charles Ramble); Legislating Culture: Preserving Bhutan’s Traditions (Barbara Crossette); and a portfolio of watercolors by robert G. Powell. Asian Art and Culture Magazine. Published by the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution.

• India and China: Ancient Civilizations Series. This 48 page workbook includes 21 pages devoted solely to Ancient India. These include lessons on geography, the Silk Road, Indus Valley Civilization, Aryan Civilization, Maurya Civilization, the Gupta Dynasty, and Religious Practices. There are six separate reproducible worksheets for students, as well as a Passport for Travel, culminating activities and bibliography.

• India: A Teacher’s Guide.Focus on Asian Studies Special Issue. No 1. Fall, 1985. Topics: Towards and Understanding of India; Varna/Jati: Identity with the Group; The One and the Many: Hinduism; Articulating Values: The Conceptual Framework for Which Values are Articulated to Hindus and Other People Throughout the Subcontinent; Marriage: A Case of Indian Decision Making.

• India in Pictures. Visual Geopgraphy Series, 1989. Sixty-four pages of photos, drawings and maps illustrating the diversity of India, with extensive text. Good resource for relatively new readers. Divided into chapters on 1) the Land; 2) History and Government; 3) the People; and 4) the Economy.

• The Indian Subcontinent.Social Science Staff of the Educational Research Council of America. 1971. Textbook and Teacher Guide. Grade 4. Areas of focus are history, geography, economics, sociology and anthropology, philosophy, religion and psychology, and political science.

• The Interaction of Cultures. The Human Adventure: Book 8. Teacher’s Guide. Grade 6. Social Science Staff of the Educational Research Council of America. Allyn & Bacon, Inc. Boston, 1971. Deals with 19th century nationalism, imperialism, democracy and socialism. One chapter focuses on western imperialism in India.

• The International Tibet Resource Directory.International Campaign for Tibet, 1995. Part of The Tibetan Educational Reader and Resource Package.An international resource directory of the Tibetan government-in-exile; Tibetan life in exhile; Tibet related organizations, support groups and services; and Tibetan cultural resources.

• Isenberg, Irwin. The Indian Subcontinent. Scholastic Book Services. Part of the Scholastic World Cultures Series. New York, 1972. Textbook. Topics include: village and city, caste and family, religion.

• Jaffrey, Madhur. Seasons of Spendour: Tales, Myths and Legends of India. Atheneum. New York, 1985.

• Judd, Denis. The British Raj. Wayland Publishers Ltd. Hove, East Sussex. (Documentary History Series). Designed to introduce students to research from primary sources presented with extracts and illustrations.

• Johnson, Donald J. and Jean E. Through Indian Eyes. Two volumes. Praeger Publishers. New York, 1974. Vol. 1: The Wheel of Life. Deals with more intimate and personal aspect s of life in India: the family, the teacher-student relationship, marriage, caste, and religious concerns. Vol. 2: Forging a Nation: Emphasizes more abstract concerns, such as history and development.

• Kalman, Bobbie. India: The Land; India The People, India: The Culture, and Tibet.Crabtree Publishing Company. Toronto, 1990. These well-illustrated books for young readers are part of The Lands, Peoples, and Cultures Series.

• Kalman, Bobbie, India: the People, a 32 page book featuring chapters on Living in Harmony, India’s Ancient History, Building a New Nation, the Many Faces of India, Family Life, Homes, Village Life, Living in the City, Language and Education, Occupations, Social Issues, The Cycle of Poverty, Indian Customs and Glossary and Index. Crabtree Publishing Company.

• Kanitkar, V.P. (Hemant). Hindu Festivals and Sacraments. Published by the authour. New Barnet, Herts., 1984. Addresses primary and secondary school teachers who wish to make Hinduism “alive and real” in their classroom. Contents include an explanation of the Hindu calendar and a section on Hinduism in the classroom. Festivals are presented in chronological order according to the Hindu lunar months. The ritual and celebratory procedures of sacraments are discussed.

• Kidron, Michael and Ronald Segal. The New State of the World Atlas.Simon and Schuster. New York, 1984. Maps illustrate dynamics of a world in constant change and turmoil: movements of troops, money, food, business, terror, resources, weapons, etc.

• The Broken Tusk: Stories of Ganesha: Retold by Uma Krishnaswami. Seventeen stories about Vishnu, and guides for teachers and storytellers on: Pronunciation; Ganesha’s Names; Gods, People, Kings and Demons, A List of Characters; and a Glossary. 100 pages. Linnet Books, 1996.

• Shower of Gold: Girls and Women in the Stories of India: Retold by Uma Krishnaswami. Eighteen stories and a guide for teachers and storytellers to Pronunciation and characters. 125 pages. Linnet Books, 1999.

• Lautz, Terry E., ed. Asia: Half the Human Race: A Viewer’s Guide.The China Council of the Asia Society, by the Council of International Public Affairs. Distributed by Learning Resources in International Studies. New York, 1979. Section IV: India and South Asia Programs. A viewer’s guide to accompany the 1979 CBS Summer Semester television series. Supplements each of 30 programs with maps, visuals and background materials. Also designed to be used apart from the television series.

• Ludwig, Theodore M. The Sacred Path: Understanding the Religions of the World. MacMillan Publishing Company. New York, 1989. Textbook. Contains a section on “Religions Arising from India” and another on Islam.

• McDermott, Robert A., ed. Focus on Buddhism: A Guide to Audio-Visual Resources for Teaching Religion. Anima Books. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, 1981. A guide to films, slides sets, and recordings for the study of Buddhism intended for anyone seeking to understand the history, teachings, practices, and cultural background of the Buddhist religious tradition.

• Modernising India; From Ox-Plough to Satellite Dish (Understanding global Issues Series, Cheltenham, England) Includes: 1) India’s Ancient Diversity, forces which unify, tensions which divide; 2)Fifty Years of Independence, Indian demcoracy in action; 3)Villages and Cities, two versions of Indian society; 4)Governing India, the many levels and levers of power; 5)Topic Map, geography and economics; 6)Economic Infrastructure, the framework for development; 7)The Freedom to Prosper? Opportunities and dead ends; 8)India goes global, foreign trade and political relation; 9) bibliography; and 10) Notes on Maps. 18 pages, published 1997.

• Mueller, Peggy. with Marilyn Turkovich. Cloth Crafts of India: Cotton and Silk, Trade and History.Shilpa Publications. nd. Background information, activities, maps and readings on Indian textiles.

• ________, Sarah Noble and Marilyn Turkovich. Sri Lanka Learning Center Ideas.AMIE. Chicago, 1993 edition (1982). Contains 90 activities generated from the context of Sri Lanka, plus exercises dealing with other cultures. Sections on geography, history, people, religion, holidays, language, products, arts, literature, music, animals, and food. Many activities are interdisciplinary.

• Passages to India. (School Special Version) Independent Broadcasting Associates, Inc. Littleton, Mass. Three distinct programs offered on one audiotape and curriculum book, designed to introduce Middle and High School students to the people and land of India. Includes: “Listening to India,” (10 min.), which involves students in identifying the sound of India; “On the Shores of Vast Humanity,” (12 min.) which serves as an introduction to the ethnic, religious, linguistic, and geographic diversities of India; and “Beneath the Surface: Conversations with Indian Youth” (19 min) which allows American students to compare viewpoints with students their own age in India. Forty-one page curriculum booklet provides individual lessons. Booklet written my Marilyn Turkovich in conjunction with Judy Mitchell-Miller, Peggy Mueller, and Sarah Lane.

• Pitkanen, Matti A. The Children of Nepal. Carolrhoda Books, Inc. Minneapolis, 1990. One of a series called The World’s Children, this book uses photographs to introduce young readers to the daily life of children in Nepal. The accompanying text focuses on the geography, culture, and religions that shape the lives of children on Nepal.

• Prime, Ranchor. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita. (Barron’s Educational Press, London, 2003).

• Sackler Galley Education Department of the Smithsonian Institution. Noble Path: Buddhist Art of South Asia and Tibet. Teacher’s packet from a museum workshop held in conjunction with an exhibition October, 1989 through March, 1990 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Some key images in Buddhist art are highlighted in a slide packet which can be used as an introduction to the art of Nepal and Tibet. Lists books, films, and Buddhist terms. Middle and secondary schools.

• Samarasekara, Dhanapala and Udemi Samarasekara. I am a Buddhist.Franklin Watts Ltd. London, 1986. Looks at Buddhism through the eyes of a young girl of Sri Lankan background living in Britain. Explanatory text and background information accompanies photographs.

• Smithsonian Institution. The Living Arts of India.Four manuals and a videotape. Washington D.C.: 1986. Puppets, Plays and Pageants.Supplementary manual No. 1. A collection of plays for children of all ages. The Mughal Court: Lessons in Conquest and Art.Supplementary manual No. 2. Written and edited by Kate Rinzler. Combines activities in history and art by using historical and artistic documents. Games from India’s Streets and Playground.Supplementary manual No. 3. Written by Ken Swift. Revised and edited by Kate Rinzler. Games from North India from quiet to energetic. Indian Fairs and Festivals.Supplementary manual No. 4. Written by the Office of Folklife Programs. Selections were originally provided as photo texts panels for the learning center of Mela! An Indian Fairan exhibition mounted as part of the Smithsonian’s 1985 Festival of American Folklife and the Festival of India. A general introduction to Indian culture and religion through the accounts of particularly meaningful events. Divided into three sections: brief introduction to India’s geography, history, and society; 2) background on the religious communities of India; and 3) Indian festivals and fairs arranges in the yearly cycle. Aditi: The Living Arts of India.Videotape. (41 min).Learning Resources for Lesson Plans in a Teacher Manual.(19 min).

• Sood, Margaret Anne. The Urban Middle Class: Family in India: A Perspective. Educational Resources Center, University of the State of New York, State Education Department. New Delhi, 1978. Introduction to the world of a middle class North Indian urban family. Includes discussion questions.

• Spagnoli, Cathy. Asian Tales and Tellers: Stories from Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Pakistan, India, Korea, Philippines, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Taiwan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. August House Publishers, Little Rock, 1998. This illustrated book includes chapters on Storytellers and Styles, and Storytelling Tools, as well as an immense collection of short and long stories from all the above-named countries. Excellent for class reading, or for new ideas for narrative projects.

• Spagnoli, Cathy. A Treasury of Asian Stories & Activities for Schools & Libraries. Alleyside Press, Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin, 1998. Magical tales and learning activities from seventeen Asian nations and cultures. Activities include Bengali rhymes, making Indian kolams, Sri Lankan riddles, rhymes from pakistan, as well as tales and activities from other nations and cultures. Intended for grades PK-3.

• Stavrianos, Leftens and Lacey Baldwin Smith. India: A Cultural Area in Perspective. Allyn and Bacon. Boston, 1966. Textbook: Contents include basic information (Geography and History Essentials), politics (An Asian Translation of the British Tradition), economics (Breaking the Vicious Circle of Underproduction), and culture (Revolution by Persuasion). Also includes unit activities, maps, charts, and diagrams.

• Teachers South Asia Packet: Afghanistan, Ceylon, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.The Asia Society. 1961. Packet includes: Chapter XXII The Pattern of Asiaedited by Norman Ginsberg. Maps and charts with accompanying explanation. 1958; January-February 1961 World Health.Illustrations with captions; “Nepal” inFocus.December, 1961; Pictures of South Asia selected and captioned by the Asia Society representing contrasts; pictorial chart and map of India and Pakistan; “Other Lands, Other People” section on Asia and the South Pacific; “The History of India: Its Study and Interpretation,” by Robert I. Crane. 1958; “Books on Asia for Children.” selected reading list of The Asia Society. 1961.

• Tibet Education Network Tibet in Seattle: A Reader and Resource Guide.Tibet Education Network, 1996. A collection of news and magazine articles that chronicle the Tibetan Seattle Community since its beginnings in 1960.

• Turkovich, Marilyn and Peggy Mueller and Linda Bubolz Ashida. Nepal: From Kathmandu to Mt. Everest.AMIE. Chicago, 1983. This unit of activities helps students to investigate Nepal, its geography, history and people by highlighting its contrasts and comparisons with 36 other countries of the world. Geared for middle school through secondary level, the material is divided into teacher-directed activities and independent of small group exercises.

• Warshaw, Steven. India Emerges: A Concise History of India from Its Origins to the Present. Diablo Press. Fifth Revision: Berkeley, 1990. (Originally published 1964 as part of Asia Emerges). Textbook and teacher’s guide. An broad introduction to Indian history and culture.

• We Are Hindus. The Saint Andrew Press. Edinburgh, 1987. One year with a Hindu family in Western India.

• Homeless Bird:A novel by Gloria Whelan, follows the life of a young widow who is abandoned by her in-laws in Vrindavan, and how she finds a new life in a new village. 211 pages. Harper Collins Publishers.

• Women In India.Focus on Asian Studies. Vol III. No. 3. Spring 1984. The Asia Society. Articles pertaining to South Asia: South Asian Women: About Whom Should We Be Teaching?; Female Seclusion: A Personal Look; Some Marriage Advertisements. Also includes resources for teaching about women in Asia and an interview with Mira Nair.