The Aftermath of Partition in South Asia (Routledge Studies in the Modern History of Asia)

This book draws upon new theoretical insights and fresh bodies of data to historically reappraise partition in the light of its long aftermath. It uses a comparative approach by viewing South Asia in its totality, rather than looking at it in narrow 'national' terms. As the first book to focus on the aftermath of partition, it fills a distinctive niche in the study of contemporary South Asia. Education, Politics & IR, Sociology & Social Policy Book Cover 1 Title 4 Contents 5 List of maps and tables 7 Brief biographical notes 8 Preface 13 Introduction: the place of partition in South Asian histories 16 'The enigma of arrival': 14 15 August 1947 and the celebration of independence 44 Partition and the making of South Asian boundaries 93 A community in crisis: partition and the Sikhs 116 From displacement to development: East Punjab countryside after partition, c. 1947 67 140 Divided landscapes, fragmented identities: East Bengal refugees and their rehabilitation in India, 1947 79 156 'Capitol landscapes': the imprint of partition on South Asian capital cities 178 Punjab and the making of Pakistan 219 Contemporary South Asia and the legacies of partition 235 Glossary 259 Notes 263 Bibliography 310 Index 330 In the autumn of 1997, as these lines are being written, commemorative events are under way in the Indian subcontinent to mark the fiftieth anniversary of independence and partition. The Aftermath of Partition in South Asia draws upon new theoretical insights and fresh bodies of data to historically reappraise partition in the light of its long aftermath.