Subrata Mitra

South Asian politics have been increasingly dominated by ethnic movements seeking control over parts of existing national states, each in the name of their own distinct identity. The leaders of these movements justify their claims by asserting the moral right of their "nation" to its homeland. Although the government usually treats these separatist movements as divisive threats to domestic stability, the movements express their legitimacy with the rhetoric of cultural nationalism. However, this book presents sub-nationalism not as a culturally specific phenomenon but as a politically convenient self-classification, used as an instrument of identity, mobilization, power, and counter-hegemony by political actors. Drawing on detailed analyses of seven South Asian cases–Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, Assam, Tamilnadu, and Sri Lanka–the contributors move beyond sociological and economic explanations of the origin and evolution of South Asian nationalism to formulate a political explanation based on theories of cultural nationalism and collective action.

The idea of the book initially emerged from a panel discussion at the Specialist Group on South Asia of the Political Studies Association, UK, in March 1993. On its tortuous path to publication, it has been enriched by critical comments from Sumit Ganguly, Vernon Hewitt, Iftikhar Malik, Gurharpal Singh and David Taylor. The volume has benefited fromSubrata Mitra's long association with the Centre for Indian Studies at the University of Hull and stimulating discussions with members of the Center for South Asian Studies and the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley, during his sabbatical term (spring 1994). The contributions, although completed by summer 1994, recognise the ongoing changes throughout the region.

Political parties are recognized as a highly important instrument for the functioning of democratic politics. They are essential for state formation and the intermediation between the state and society. This book is a pioneering attempt to discuss and analyze the complex variations of the party landscape in South Asia. It pays special attention to the evaluation of the role of political parties in the creation of multicultural, pluralist, and democratic societies. The contributions to this volume come from indigenous authors who bear the necessary contextual knowledge needed to analyze the political parties in South Asia. This work helps explain why analytical concepts can provide explanations in some areas of this subject but fail in others. It also argues that the political parties in South Asia should not be assessed only through criteria taken from western experience. The material in this volume is sure to inform academic debate.