Orient Blackswan

Imprint	Orient BlackSwan
Year of Publishing	2014
Number of pages	432
ISBN	9788125054573
Format	Hardback
Language	English
Dimensions	158 x 240 mm
Territorial Rights	India,Nepal,Bhutan,Bangladesh,Sri Lanka,Maldives,Pakistan

the Book
the Author(s)
Table of Contents

Pathways to Power introduces the domestic politics of South Asia in broad comparative perspective, revealing the interplay between politics, cultural values, human security, and historical luck. While these are important correlations everywhere, nowhere are they more compelling than in South Asia where such dynamic interchanges loom large on a daily basis. Identity politics—not just of religion but also of caste, ethnicity, regionalism, and social class—infuses all aspects of social and political life in the sub-continent. Recognizing this complex interplay, this volume moves beyond conventional views of South Asian politics as it explicitly weaves the connections between history, culture, and social values into its examination of political life.

The volume covers the five major South Asian states and includes a comprehensive grounding of the politics of modern South Asia in their shared colonial history, tracing how institutions inherited from British rule— parliament, constitutions, judicial systems, the civil service—have diverged in the context of the different social and cultural forces that shape politics in the successor states of Britain’s South Asian empire. The book examines the many factors that bring together the disparate countries of the region into important engagements with one another, forming an uneasy regional entity.

South Asian readers will find useful ways of comparing the five major South Asian countries through consistent themes that enable a richer understanding of domestic politics throughout the region.

Although the book is intended primarily for students of South Asian politics, it also serves as an excellent introduction to the politics of the region for the general reader.

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Arjun Guneratne is professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology at Macalester College, Minnesota, USA.
Anita M. Weiss is professor and head of the Department of International Studies at the University of Oregon, USA.

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Acknowledgments
Introduction: Situating Domestic Politics in South Asia
Arjun Guneratne and Anita M. Weiss
South Asia as a Political-Cultural Site
The Organization of the Book
Efforts to Promote Regional Cooperation

1. The Colonial Legacy
Shabnum Tejani
Imperial Conquest
The Early Colonial State
Mutiny and Rebellion
High Noon of Colonialism, 1858–1914
Cultural Reform and Political Change under the Raj, 1800–1900
Nationalism
Independence and Partition, 1937–1948

2. India
Christophe Jaffrelot
Political History since Independence
Political Economy
Identity Politics
Women’s Power and Kinship Networks in Political Life
(by Virginie Dutoya)
The Social Cost of Militarism (by Isabelle Saint-Mezard)
Struggles over Rights: A Case Study

3. Pakistan
Anita M. Weiss
Political History since Independence
Political Economy
Identity Politics
Women’s Power and Kinship Networks in Political Life
Social Costs of Militarism
Struggles over Rights: Case Study of the Tehrik-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) in Swat

4. Sri Lanka
Arjun Guneratne
Political History since Independence
Political Economy
Identity Politics
Women’s Power and Kinship Networks in Political Life
Social Costs of Militarism
Struggles over Rights: The Women’s Movement in Sri Lanka
(by Camena Guneratne)

5. Nepal
Pratyoush Onta and Seira Tamang
Political History
Political Economy
Identity Politics
Women’s Power and Kinship Networks in Political Life
Social Costs of Militarism
Struggles over Rights: The 2007 Madhes Rebellion

6. Bangladesh
Haroun er Rashid
Political History
Major Political Parties
Political Economy
Identity Politics
Women’s Power and Kinship Networks in Political Life
Social Costs of Militarism
Struggles over Rights: The Nagorik Committee Initiative

Index
About the Contributors

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Pathways to Power

The Domestic Politics of South Asia

Arjun Guneratne and Anita M. Weiss

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