Democracy, Nationalism, and Communalism : The Colonial Legacy in South Asia

Although India and Pakistan were part of a single state until liberation from British colonial rule in 1947, the former has since emerged as the world’s largest “democracy,†whereas the latter has been under military control for most of its history. In this thought-provoking volume, Asma Barlas explores the complex and delicate issue of democracy in India and Pakistan. Within this context, Barlas’s analysis helps to clarify why democracy in South Asia continues to be so precarious, why nationalism still takes a “communal†form, and why the two postcolonial states, in spite of differences between them, continue to be top-heavy, elitist, and authoritarian.