Edwin F. BryantReseñas

Like Thomas Trautmann (The Aryan Debate), EDWIN E. BRYANT and LAURIE L. PATTON give voice to the different points of view in the fierce controversy about the earliest history of the Indian subcontinent. In particular, the question is whether the proto-Hindoeist civilization only took shape in the course of the 2nd and 1st millennium bce , after the arrival of Indo-Aryan speakers, or earlier under what is known as the Harappan-Indus civilization, in the 3rd millennium bce, and therefore whether the latter was already Indo-Aryan-speaking. As I explained in my reviews of the books of Andrew Robinson and Thomas Trautman, that question is a sensitive one, especially among today's Hindu nationalists. Because they do not want to hear that their culture has an external origin. Bryan and Patton do not really take a stand themselves, and argue for respect and dialogue. They see their book mainly as an attempt to find common ground, to get away from polemic. More about that in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6398067534

Western scholars have argued that Indian civilization was the joint product of an invading Indo-European people-the "Indo-Aryans"-and indigenous non-Indo European peoples. Although Indian scholars reject this European reconstruction of their country's history, Western scholarship gives little heed to their argument. In this book, Edwin Bryant explores the nature and origins of this fascinating debate.

Very balanced and even handed despite Bryant walking on a tightrope (since he was at Harvard with Witzel when he wrote this).