India-South Asia Interface : Religion, Politics and the Wider World

__India-South Asia Interface__ raises the fundamental question: How does one make sense of South Asia? Conventional wisdom defines it primarily in terms of regional and international politics. The failures of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) are emblematic of that wisdom. Marking a departure from such approaches, Partha Ghosh makes the case that more than merely a political construct South Asia must be understood as a shared social consciousness. Through chapters that explore topics such as threats to democracy, religion and politics, the place of Kashmir, different conceptions of regionalism, the roles of America and China, and the issue of refugees and migrants, he demonstrates that there is no escape from reinventing the region from a people’s perspective. Only this way can South Asia retrieve its soul and replace its cynicism and despair with expectation and hope. Based primarily on Ghosh’s research articles and newspaper columns written over the last five years, the volume can be viewed as an intimate statement of his understanding of the region; an understanding that has matured through decades-long interactions with the region’s academics, politicians, and the so-called ‘man on the street’. In some sense, the volume is also a semi-autobiographical treatise, which spells out Ghosh’s systematic evolution as a confirmed South Asianist. The region’s destiny ought to be wrested, he therefore argues, from the hands of its political leaders and returned to the common men and women of the region. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. India-South Asia Interface raises the fundamental question: How does one make sense of South Asia? Conventional wisdom defines it primarily in terms of regional and international politics. The failures of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) are emblematic of that wisdom. Marking a departure from such approaches, Partha Ghosh makes the case that more than merely a political construct South Asia must be understood as a shared social consciousness. Through chapters that explore topics such as threats to democracy, religion and politics, the place of Kashmir, different conceptions of regionalism, the roles of America and China, and the issue of refugees and migrants, he demonstrates that there is no escape from reinventing the region from a people’s perspective. Only this way can South Asia retrieve its soul and replace its cynicism and despair with expectation and hope. Based primarily on Ghosh’s research articles and newspaper columns written over the last five years, the volume can be viewed as an intimate statement of his understanding of the region; an understanding that has matured through decades-long interactions with the region’s academics, politicians, and the so-called ‘man on the street’. In some sense, the volume is also a semi-autobiographical treatise, which spells out Ghosh’s systematic evolution as a confirmed South Asianist. The region’s destiny ought to be wrested, he therefore argues, from the hands of its political leaders and returned to the common men and women of the region. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In this book, the author makes the case that South Asia must be understood as a shared social consciousness as well. Through chapters that explore topics such as threats to democracy, religion & politics, Kashmir, refugees & migrants, he demonstrates that there is no escape from reinventing the region from a people’s perspective. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Table of Contents 8 Preface 10 Chapter 1: In Search of a Region 12 Chapter 2: Religion and Politics 35 Chapter 3: Kashmir Imbroglio 75 Chapter 4: Illegal Immigration and the North-East 90 Chapter 5: Islamophobia 121 Chapter 6: Chinese Elephant in the Room 131 Chapter 7: SAARC: Hoping Against Hope 150 Chapter 8: Negotiating an Uncertain World 168 Chapter 9: South Asia in Perspective: Some Memories, Some Reflections 193 Author’s Select Publications 222 Index 226 Illegal,Immigration,in,North-East;,Kashmir,Imbroglio;,China,North-East;,South,Asia,in,Perspective;,Islamophobia Illegal Immigration in North-East,Kashmir Imbroglio,China North-East,South Asia in Perspective,Islamophobia India-South Asia Interface raises the fundamental question: How does one make sense of South Asia? Conventional wisdom defines it primarily in terms of regional and international politics. The failures of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) are emblematic of that wisdom. Marking a departure from such approaches, Partha Ghosh makes the case that more than merely a political construct South Asia must be understood as a shared social consciousness. Through chapters that explore topics such as threats to democracy, religion and politics, the place of Kashmir, different conceptions of regionalism, the roles of America and China, and the issue of refugees and migrants, he demonstrates that there is no escape from reinventing the region from a people0́9s perspective. Only this way can South Asia retrieve its soul and replace its cynicism and despair with expectation and hope.Based primarily on Ghosh0́9s research articles and newspaper columns written over the last five years, the volume can be viewed as an intimate statement of his understanding of the region; an understanding that has matured through decades-long interactions with the region0́9s academics, politicians, and the so-called 0́8man on the street0́9. In some sense, the volume is also a semi-autobiographical treatise, which spells out Ghosh0́9s systematic evolution as a confirmed South Asianist. The region0́9s destiny ought to be wrested, he therefore argues, from the hands of its political leaders and returned to the common men and women of the region. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka