Ethnicity and Nation-Building in South Asia

'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 Ethnicity, ethnic identity and ethnic nationalism have been crucial variables in the formation, re-formation and consolidation of state structures in South Asia. This book provides a comparative appraisal of the dynamics of ethnic movements in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. This revised edition of Ethnicity and Nation-Building in South Asia examines the diverse impulses which reinforce ethnic specificities in multi-ethnic societies and the adequacy of institutional arrangements to cope with the pressures of inter-ethnic competition for a stake in the system. The unique feature of the book is its farsighted analysis of the breadth of ethnicity in South Asia.