In a second edition of their successful Concise History of Modern India, Barbara Metcalf and Thomas Metcalf explore India's modern history afresh and update the events of the last decade. These include the takeover of Congress from the seemingly entrenched Hindu nationalist party in 2004, India's huge advances in technology and the country's new role as a major player in world affairs. From the days of the Mughals, through the British Empire, and into Independence, the country has been transformed by its institutional structures. It is these institutions which have helped bring about the social, cultural and economic changes that have taken place over the last half century and paved the way for the modern success story. Despite these advances, poverty, social inequality and religious division still fester. In response to these dilemmas, the book grapples with questions of caste and religious identity, and the nature of the Indian nation.

芭芭拉•D.梅特卡夫（Barbara D. Metcalf），加州大学戴维斯分校历史系荣誉退休教授，研究南亚史（特别是殖民时期）、印度和巴基斯坦的穆斯林史。曾任亚洲研究协会主席、美国历史学会主席。著有《英属印度的伊斯兰复兴（1860-1900）》（Islamic Revival in British India: Deoband , 1860 -1900）、《在北美和欧洲制造穆斯林空间》（Making Muslim Space in North America and Europe）等。

托马斯•R.梅特卡夫（Thomas R. Metcalf），加州大学伯克利分校历史系荣誉退休教授，研究南亚史特别是殖民时期的印度史、大英帝国史。著有《帝国的连接：印度洋竞技场中的印度（1860-1920）》（Imperial Connections: India in the Indian Ocean Arena, 1860-1920 ）、《打造王冠之珠：有关帝国全盛时期的英属印度随笔》（Forging the Raj: Essays on British India in the Heyday of Empire ）、《英属印度的意识形态》（Ideologies of the Raj）等。