WHICH OF US ARE ARYANS?: RETHINKING THE CONCEPT OF OUR ORIGINS: Five experts challenge the controversial Aryan question

The question of which of us is
Aryan is one of the most contentious in India today. In this eyeopening book,
scholars and experts critically examine the Aryan issue by analysing history,
genetics, early Vedic scriptures, archaeology and linguistics to test and
challenge various hypotheses, myths, facts and theories that are currently in
vogue. Romila Thapar tackles the definition of the ‘Aryan’ in her inimitable
style by tracing the origins and progression of the ‘Aryans’ from old Iranian
texts such as the Zend-Avesta, archaeological excavations and colonial
interpretations made by Max Müeller. She also touches upon the following
fields of enquiry: historiography, archaeology, linguistics, comparative
mythology, social anthropology and, more recently, genetics. Michael Witzel
investigates the origins of the early ‘Aryans’ within and outside India. Jaya
Menon examines data from excavations of Harappan culture. Kai Friese lucidly
explains the Rakhigarhi research which has been talked about a lot in the recent
past and Razib Khan provides insights arising from research into genetics.