The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c19.s9.2

c19.s9.2

2. For instance, A. S. Altekar, *State and Government in Ancient India*, (Benares, 1949); U. N. Ghoshal, *A History of Indian Political Ideas* (Bombay, 1959). It should be recognized that scholarly works of this type had an obvious place and function in the wider context of modern national thinking, which necessitated a rethinking of the received texts. In this respect, these works are akin to much of nineteenth-century European historiography. It may also be a sign of the changing times that Indian historians are at present directing their attention to social and economic history rather than to ancient political institutions.