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Democracy and Authoritarianism in South Asia

A Comparative and Historical Perspective

Ayesha Jalal author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:6th Apr '95

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Democracy and Authoritarianism in South Asia cover

A comparative and historical study of the interplay between democratic politics and authoritarian states in South Asia.

In a comparative and historical study of the interplay between democratic politics and authoritarian states in South Asia, Ayesha Jalal explains how a shared colonial legacy led to apparently contrasting patterns of political development, although confronting similar threats from ethnic and regional movements.In a comparative and historical study of the interplay between democratic politics and authoritarian states in South Asia, Ayesha Jalal explains how a shared colonial legacy led to apparently contrasting patterns of political development - democracy in India and authoritarianism in Pakistan and Bangladesh. The analysis shows how, despite differences in form, central political authority in each state came to confront similar threats from regional and linguistic dissidence, religious and sectarian strife, as well as class and caste conflicts. By comparing state structures and political processes, the author evaluates and redefines democracy, citizenship, sovereignty and the nation-state, arguing for a more decentralized governmental structure. This original and provocative study will challenge students and scholars in the field to rethink traditional concepts of democracy and authoritarianism in South Asia.

'Jalal's real contribution lies, I think, in reminding us that within the region of South Asia, it is not ethnicity itself that is a problem, but the state structures from within which it arises.' The Times Higher Education Supplement

ISBN: 9780521478625

Dimensions: 227mm x 153mm x 20mm

Weight: 490g

312 pages