State Nation And Ethnicity In Contemporary South Asia

First published in 1989, this widely hailed core text of the dynamics of ethnic identities and movements in the South Asian region is perhaps even more relevant today, as the region faces a resurgence of ethno-nationalist sentiments and the outbreak of new ethnic conflict. Among the features of this thoroughly revised edition are: /-/ - it provides a critical appraisal of various theoretical approaches to the study of ethnicity and nation-building /-/ - delineates the ethnic composition of the South Asian Region/-/ - examines the specific state structures of the countries studied: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives/-/ - discusses various ethnic movements in these countries/-/ - covers the most recent developments in the region

Preface

'This is probably the only work that deals with the entire spectrum of South Asian ethnicity and its dynamic role in regional politics. A decade and a half later after the first edition was published, the work has become even more relevant because ethnic divisions have become sharper all across the region. This updated second edition is thus welcome' "- Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Contemporary South Asia " The new, revised edition of Ethnicity and Nation-building in South Asia has been rewritten and updated by Rajat Ganguly following the untimely death of the original author Urmila Phadnis.

What makes a national community out of a state? Addressing this fundamental question. Rajagopalan studies national integration from the perspective of three South Asian communities - Tamilians in India, Sindhis in Pakistan, and Tamils in Sri Lanka - that have a history of secessionism in common, but with vastly different outcomes Rajagopalan investigates why integration is relatively successful in some cases (Tamil Nadu), less so in others (Sindh), and disastrous in some (Sri Lanka). Broadly comparative and drawing together multiple aspects of political development and nation building, her imaginative exploration of the tension between state and nation gives voice to relatively disenfranchised sections of society.

This book offers comparative, historicist, and multidisciplinary views on the role of identity politics in the development of Pakistan. Bringing together perspectives on the dynamics of state-building, the book provides insights into contemporary processes of national contestation, and highlights how ethnicity and identity politics are an enduring marker in Pakistani politics, and why they are increasingly powerful and influential. This book on Pakistan will be a useful contribution to South Asian Politics, South Asian History, and Islamic Studies.

"[This book] It is provocative and bold. Brass bases his theories on his rather extensive study of the historical and political processes in multi-ethnic societies, especially India. There is much truth in his identification of the problem in the state of Punjab and elsewhere in India, in relentless centralization and, often, some questionable interventionist policies of the central government." --International Migration Review "Ethnicity and Nationalism is most timely and relevant. . . . This book offers many positives. It is provocative and bold. Paul Brass bases his theories on his rather extensive study of the historical and political processes in multiethnic societies, especially in India. There is much truth in his identification of the problem in the state of Punjab and elsewhere in India." --International Migration Review "The present volume is a very important contribution toward the study of ethnicity and nationalism. The book would be of interest to a wide range of scholars, particularly those with a South Asian focus." --Asian and Pacific Migration Journal "This volume is a very important contribution toward the study of ethnicity and nationalism. The book would be of interest to a wide range of scholars, particularly those with a South Asian focus." --Asia and Pacific Mirgration Journal Ethnicity and nationalism, interethnic conflicts, and secessionist movements have been major forces shaping the modern world and the structure and stability of contemporary states. In the closing decades of the twentieth century, such forces and movements have emerged with new intensity. Drawing his examples in this major study from a wide variety of multiethnic situations around the world, with special emphasis on South Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Union, Paul Brass presents a distinctive theory concerning the origins of ethnic identity and modern nationalism. The author bases his theory on two focal arguments: one, that ethnicity and nationalism are not "givens," but are social and political constructions. The second is that ethnicity and nationalism are modern phenomena inseparably connected with the activities of the modern centralizing state. Examples and case studies from India comprise the heart of this volume. Three chapters focus specifically on two minority groups in India: north India Muslims and the Sikhs of Punjab. A second and substantial source of illustrations, which substantiate the theoretical arguments, is Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. The author also presents a direct comparison of language-based ethnic problems in India and the Soviet Union. An original perspective on the major themes and arguments concerning ethnicity and nationalism, this book is essential reading for scholars and academics in the fields of ethnic studies, comparative politics, development studies, and anthropology. "Brass's work is a significant contribution to the study of ethnicity and nationalism. His work draws our attention to the complexity of the politics of identity. Students of Indian politics will find the book extremely useful and the people who in recent years are trying to invent a primordial basis for the Indian nation will find it disconcerting." --The Indian Economic and Social History Review "This timely volume....will be of considerable interest to students of South Asian politics for its clarity and commitment." --International Journal of Punjab Studies "When a major writer shifts the focus on his inquiry, it becomes the cause of a certain excitement within the discipline as a whole. Such is the case with Ethnicity and Nationalism where Paul Brass, long a familiar name for students of Indian politics, questions the applicability of the consociational model as an effective method of achieving democratic political order in multi-ethnic societies." --Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics "This is a useful book for it brings together Paul Brass' writings on the subject of ethnicity and politics between 1978 and 1990." --Contributions to Indian Sociology "By virtue of the theoretical and empirical assertions it makes and the political controversy it is bound to give rise to, Ethnicity and Nationalism is an important addition to Indian and comparative politics. The book can be read with profit." --Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics "This is a valuable addition to the literature on ethnicity and nationalism. But more than just an addition, it illumines the multi-layered social grid in multi-ethnic societies consisting of majorities and minorities, conflicts of interests, and the key role played by both the State and various elites in the formation of ethnicity and nationalism." --Media Development

The notion of a ‘politics of religion’ refers to the increasing role that religion plays in the politics of the contemporary world. This book presents comparative country case studies on the politics of religion in South and South Asia, including India, Pakistan and Indonesia. The politics of religion calls into question the relevance of modernist notions of secularism and democracy, with the emphasis instead on going back to indigenous roots in search of authentic ideologies and models of state and nation building. Within the context of the individual countries, chapters focus on the consequences that politics of religion has on inclusive nation-building, democracy and the rights of individuals, minorities and women. The book makes a contribution to both the theoretical and conceptual literature on the politics of religion as well as shed light on the implications and ramifications of the politics of religion on contemporary South Asian and South East Asian countries. It is of interest to students and scholars of South and South East Asian Studies, as well as Comparative Politics.