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This important new book critically evaluates the conventional reading of ethnicity and ethnic conflict in contemporary Indian politics. By focusing on India's nation and state-building in the peripheral regions since 1947, in particular Punjab, it argues that there is a case for considering India as an ethnic democracy. The long-term development of ethno-nationalist separatist movements and the future character of Indian democracy is assessed in light of the challenge posed by the rise of Hindutva forces, the demise of the Nehruvian state, and the internal political and economic pressures towards regionalization.

A concise and comprehensive guide to the history of Sikh nationalism from the late nineteenth century to the present, this volume uses a new methodological approach to understand the historical origins of Sikh nationalism and emphasises the importance of integrating the study of the diaspora with the Sikhs in South Asia.

The British divided and quit India in 1947. The partition of India and the creation of Pakistan uprooted entire communities and left unspeakable violence in its trail. This volume tells the story of partition through the events that led up to it, the terrors that accompanied it, to migration and resettlement. In a new shift in the understanding of this seminal moment, the book also explores the legacies of partition which continue to resonate today in the fractured lives of individuals and communities, and more broadly in the relationship between India and Pakistan and the ongoing conflict over contested sites. In conclusion, the book reflects on the general implications of partition as a political solution to ethnic and religious conflict. The book, which is accompanied by photographs, maps and a chronology of major events, is intended for students as a portal into the history and politics of the Asian region.

Focuses On The Communist Movement In Punjab From Its Birth At The Time Of The Russian Revolution To 1967. Draws An Various Sources, Particularly Unpublished Documents And Offers A New Interpretation Of Punjab Minorities History. Has 6 Chapters, Background, Before People`S War, 1920-1942, The Failure Of Integration 1942-47, The Lal Communist Party 1948-52, Crises Of Identity 1948-61, Punjab And The Cpi Split 1961-1967, Conclusion, Appendices, Bibliography. Dustjacket Slightly Damaged Otherwise In Good Condition.

The history of Sikhs in Britain provides important clues into the evolution of Britain as a multicultural society and the challenges it faces today. The authors examine the complex Anglo-Sikh relationship that led to the initial Sikh settlement and the processes of community-building around Sikh institutions such as gurdwaras. They explore the nature of British Sikh society as reflected in the performance of Sikhs in the labor markets, the changing characteristics of the Sikh family and issues of cultural transmission to the young. They provide an original and insightful account of a community transformed from the site of radical immigrant class politics to a leader of the Sikh diaspora in its search for a separate Sikh state.

This book brings together new approaches to the study of Sikh religion, culture and ethnicity being pursued in the diaspora by Sikh academics in western universities in Britain and North America. An important aspect of the volume is the diversity of topics that are engaged - including film and gender theory, theology, hermeneutics, deconstruction, semiotics and race theory - and brought to bear on the individual contributors' specialism within Sikh studies, thereby helping to explode previously static dichotomies such as insider vs. outsider or history vs. tradition. The volume should have strong appeal both to an academic market including students of politics, religious studies and South Asian studies, and to a more general English-speaking Sikh readership.

The partition of India in 1947 was an outstanding event in world history. It formed a major turning point in the modern history of the sub-continent and of the Commonwealth. Originally published in 1970, after more than twenty years had passed, this title brought together the evidence and put into perspective the course of events which had led to the transfer of power in India from Britain to two successor states rather than to one. In 1937 the Muslims in India were thought to be politically weak and disorganized, yet ten years later they were able to put forward a convincing claim for a separate state. How did this come about? The lack of any sense of urgency in making a constitutional settlement between the wars, Congress miscalculations during the war, and the political exploitation of Muslim nationalism all played a part, but the interpretation of the events leading to partition tends to vary with the preconceptions and outlook of the various contributors to the debate at the time. The enquiry which led to this volume began as a simple attempt to collect evidence from those still alive. From this grew a regular series of meetings between ‘participants’ and historians of the three countries, culminating in a conference. The material presented here discusses the more important aspects of the partite from the different viewpoints. It is arranged in two sections: first-hand accounts by those who took part; and an analysis by leading specialists. In his Introduction Professor Philips points to the main historical problems which had emerged and suggests areas of study which would repay early investigation. The time was not yet ripe for a wholly definitive account, but this book suggests a framework within which this could be done and brought together raw material for future historians before the generation of eye-witnesses passed away. The resources of the School of Oriental and African Studies enabled an enterprise to be mounted which would have been beyond the capacity of any one individual. This book is a re-issue originally published in 1970. The language used and views portrayed are a reflection of its era and no offence is meant by the Publishers to any reader by this re-publication.