Routledge Handbook of South Asian Politics: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal / Edition 1

by Paul R. Brass

Overview

The Routledge Handbook of South Asian Politics examines key issues in politics of the five independent states of the South Asian region: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Written by experts in their respective areas, this Handbook introduces the reader to the politics of South Asia by presenting the prevailing agreements and disagreements in the literature.

In the first two sections, the Handbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the modern political history of the states of the region and an overview of the independence movements in the former colonial states. The other sections focus on the political changes that have occurred in the postcolonial states since independence, as well as the successive political changes in Nepal during the same period, and the structure and functioning of the main governmental and non-governmental institutions, including the structure of the state itself (unitary or federal), political parties, the judiciary, and the military. Further, the contributors explore several aspects of the political process and political and economic change, especially issues of pluralism and national integration, political economy, corruption and criminalization of politics, radical and violent political movements, and the international politics of the region as a whole.

This unique reference work provides a comprehensive survey of the state of the field and is an invaluable resource for students and academics interested in South Asian Studies, South Asian Politics, Comparative Politics and International Relations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415434294
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/28/2010
Series:	Routledge Handbooks (Hardcover)
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.70(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Paul R. Brass is Professor (Emeritus) of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle. His most recent books are Forms of Collective Violence: Riots, Pogroms, and Genocide in Modern India (2006) and The Production of Hindu-Muslim Violence in Contemporary India (2003).

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations viii

List of Abbreviations ix

List of Contributors xiii

1 Introduction Paul R. Brass 1

Part I Colonialism, Nationalism, and Independence in South Asia: India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka 25

2 India and Pakistan Ian Talbot 27

3 Sri Lanka's Independence: Shadows over a Colonial Graft Nira Wickramasinghe 41

Part II Political Change, Political Parties, and the Issue of Unitary vs Federal Forms of Government 53

4 Political Change, Political Structure, and the Indian State since Independence John Harriss 55

5 State-level Politics, Coalitions, and Rapid System Change in India Virginia Van Dyke 67

6 Pakistan's Politics and its Economy Shahid Javed Burki 83

7 Party Overinstitutionalization, Contestation, and Democratic Degradation in Bangladesh Harry Blair 98

8 Politics and Governance in Post-independence Sri Lanka Neil De Votta 118

9 Nepal: Trajectories of Democracy and Restructuring of the State Krishna Hachhethu David N. Gellner 131

10 The Old and the New Federalism in Independent India Lloyd I. Rudolph Susanne Hoeber Rudolph 147

Part III The Judiciary 163

11 India's Judiciary: Imperium in Imperio? Shylashri Shankar 165

12 Balancing Act: Prudence, Impunity, and Pakistan's Jurisprudence Paula R. Newberg 177

13 Confronting Constitutional Curtailments: Attempts to Rebuild Independence of the Judiciary in Bangladesh Sara Hossain 191

14 Executive Sovereignty: The Judiciary in Sri Lanka Shylashri Shankar 203

Part IV Pluralism and National Integration: Language Issues 211

15 Politics of Language in India E. Annamalai 213

16 Language Problems and Politics in Pakistan Tariq Rahman 232

Part V Crises of National Unity 247

17 Crises of National Unity in India: Punjab, Kashmir, and the Northeast Gurharpal Singh 249

18 Communal and Caste Politics and Conflicts in India Steven I. Wilkinson 262

19 Ethnic and Islamic Militancy in Pakistan Mohammad Waseem 274

20 Ethnic Conflict and the Civil War in Sri Lanka Jayadeva Uyangoda 291

Part VI Political Economy 303

21 The Political Economy of Development in India since Independence Stuart Corbridge 305

22 The Political Economy of Agrarian Change in India Jan Breman 321

23 Economic Development and Sociopolitical Change in Sri Lanka since Independence W. D. Lakshman 337

Part VII Comparative Chapters 349

24 The Militaries of South Asia Stephen P. Cohen 351

25 Corruption and the Criminalization of Politics in South Asia Stanley A. Kochanek 364

26 Radical and Violent Political Movements Sumanta Banerjee 382

27 International Politics of South Asia Vernon Hewitt 399

Glossary 419

Bibliography 423

Index 451

Editorial Reviews

"What's not to like in a handbook of South Asian politics edited by someone as respected as Paul Brass and containing contributions from a further 28 of the best-informed scholars of their time?" - Robin Jeffrey, National University of Singapore; Pacific Affairs, 2013.

"Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduate collections and above." - A. Ahmad, CHOICE (June 2011)

From the Publisher