-"In this two-volume set, Raman (history, Santa Clara U. and U. of Georgia, Athens) discusses the role of women in the social and cultural history of India, with a focus on gender and female sexuality in terms of representations in male texts of the premodern era; their later use by men and women for contemporary social and political purposes; women's narrativesin their social contexts; and the issues of female agency and objectification. She addresses women's subordinate nature in India, but also their active resistance, avenues for self-expression, negotiations with patriarchy, and support of oppressive traditions. Included in chapters is discussion of goddesses, queens and courtesans, nuns, women saints,motherhood, representations in art, education, castes, feudal norms of sati and domesticity, Western influences, laws, marriage and divorce, Indian feminism and suffrage, and individuals such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. She organizes the text by two chronological sections: the premodern era from antiquity to the early medieval Hindukingdoms and the later era under Turko- Afghan and Mughal dynasties, colonial rule, and the independent state after 1947." —Reference & Research Book News

-"...Women in India is a collection of scholarly essays that roughly follows a chronological order. As such, it makes for a good starting point for academic research and is highly recommended for college and university libraries." —Library Journal