Presents a study of one of Britain's largest and most distinctive minorities - the Sikhs. This book examines the complex Anglo-Sikh relationship that led to the initial Sikh settlement and the processes of community-building around Sikh institutions such as gurdwaras. It explores the nature of British Sikh society.
Concise history of Pakistan by noted scholar.
The book explores innovative perspectives on Sikh religion, culture, and ethnicity as examined by Sikh scholars in the diaspora, particularly in Britain and North America. It covers a wide range of topics, including film, gender theory, theology, and race theory, challenging traditional dichotomies like insider vs. outsider. This multifaceted approach not only enriches Sikh studies but also appeals to both academic audiences in fields such as politics and religious studies, as well as a broader English-speaking Sikh community.
The British divided and quit India in 1947. The partition of India and the creation of Pakistan uprooted entire communities and left unspeakable violence in its trail. This volume tells the story of partition through the events that led up to it, the terrors that accompanied it, to migration and resettlement. In a new shift in the understanding of this seminal moment, the book also explores the legacies of partition which continue to resonate today in the fractured lives of individuals and communities, and more broadly in the relationship between India and Pakistan and the ongoing conflict over contested sites. In conclusion, the book reflects on the general implications of partition as a political solution to ethnic and religious conflict. The book, which is accompanied by photographs, maps and a chronology of major events, is intended for students as a portal into the history and politics of the Asian region.
"If Pakistan is to preserve all that is good about its country--the generosity and hospitality of its people, the dynamism of its youth--it must face the deterioration of its social and political institutions. Sidestepping easy headlines to identify Pakistan's true dangers, this volume revisits the major turning points and trends of Pakistani history over the past six decades, focusing on the increasing entrenchment of Pakistan's army in its political and economic arenas; the complex role of Islam in public life; the tensions between central and local identities and democratic impulses ; and the effect of geopolitical influences on domestic policy and development. While Ian Talbot's study centres on Pakistan's many failures--the collapse of stable governance, the drop in positive political and economic development, and, most of all, the unrealised goal of securing a separate Muslim state--his book unequivocally affirms the country's potential for a positive reawakening. These failures were not preordained, Talbot argues, and such a fatalistic reading does not respect the complexity of historical events, individual actors, and the state's own rich resources. While he acknowledges grave crises still lie ahead for Pakistan, Talbot's sensitive historical approach makes it clear that favourable opportunities still remain for Pakistan, in which the state has a chance to reclaim its priorities and institutions and reestablish political and economic sustainability."--Publisher information
A first general history of one of the greatest cities of South Asia, examining the impact of colonialism: socially, architecturally and politically
A concise and comprehensive guide to the history of Sikh nationalism from the late nineteenth century to the present, this volume uses a new methodological approach to understand the historical origins of Sikh nationalism and emphasises the importance of integrating the study of the diaspora with the Sikhs in South Asia.