Now available in paperback, the Routledge Handbook of South Asian Politics examines key issues in politics of the five independent states of the South Asian region: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Written by experts in their respective areas, it introduces the reader to the politics of South Asia by presenting the prevailing agreements and disagreements in the literature.

1. Introduction Paul R. Brass Part 1: Colonialism, Nationalism, and Independence in South Asia: India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka 1. India and Pakistan Ian Talbot 2. Sri Lanka's Independence: Shadows Over a Colonial Graft Nira Wickramasinghe Part 2: Political Change, Political Parties, and the Issue of Unitary vs. Federal Forms of Government 3. Political Change, Political Structure and the Indian State Since Independence John Harriss 4. Parties and Politics in India Virginia Van Dyke 5. Pakistan's Politics and Its Economy Shahid Javed Burki 6. Party Overinstitutionalization, Contestation and Democratic Degradation in Bangladesh Harry Blair 7. Politics and Governance in Post-Independence Sri Lanka Neil DeVotta 8. Trajectories of Democracy and Restructuring of the State in Nepal Krishna Hachhethu and David N. Gellner Federalism and Centre-State Relations 9. The Old and the New Federalism in Independent India Lloyd I. Rudolph and Susanne Hoeber Rudolph Part 3: The Judiciary 10. India's Judiciary: Imperium in Imperio? Shylashri Shankar 11. Balancing Act: Prudence, Impunity and Pakistan's Jurisprudence Paula R. Newberg 12. Confronting Constitutional Curtailments: Attempts to Rebuild Independence of the Judiciary in Bangladesh Sara Hossein and Tanjib-ul Alam 13. Executive Sovereignty: The Judiciary in Sri Lanka Shylashri Shankar Part 4: Pluralism and National Integration: Language Issues 14. Politics of Language in India E. Annamalai 15. Language Problems and Politics in Pakistan Tariq Rahman Part 5: Crises of National Unity 16. Crises of National Unity in India: Punjab, Kashmir and the Northeast Gurharpal Singh 17. Communal and Caste Politics and Conflicts in India Steven I. Wilkinson 18. Ethnic and Islamic Militancy in Pakistan Mohammad Waseem 19. Ethnic Conflict and the Civil War in Sri Lanka Jayadeva Uyangoda Part 6: Political Economy India 20. The Political Economy of Development in India Since Independence Stuart Corbridge 21. The Political Economy of Agrarian Change in India Jan Breman Sri Lanka 22. Economic Development and Socio-Political Change in Sri Lanka since Independence W. D. Lakshman Part 7: Comparative Chapters 23. The Militaries of South Asia Stephen P. Cohen 24. Corruption and the Criminalization of Politics in South Asia Stanley A. Kochanek 25. Radical and Violent Political Movements Sumanta Banerjee 26. The International Politics of South Asia Vernon Hewitt. Bibliography