The establishment of the Indian National Congress in 1885 marked a turning point in modern South Asian history. At the time, few grasped the significance of the event, nor understood the power that its leader would come to wield. From humble beginnings, the Congress led by Gandhi would go on to spearhead India s fight for independence from British rule: in 1947 it succeeded the British Raj as the regional ruling power. Ian Copland provides both a narrative and analysis of the process by which Indians and Pakistanis emancipated themselves from the seemingly iron-clad yoke of British imperialism. In so doing, he goes to the heart of what sets modern India apart from most other countries in the region its vigorous democracy.

Ian Copland's comprehensive and fascinating study of the role played by the Indian princes, the maharajas and nawabs of South Asia, in the devolution of British colonial power is long overdue. By rehabilitating the princes as subjects of serious historical study, the author demonstrates that, far from being puppets under the control of the British, they were in fact significant players on the Indian political stage in the inter-war period. He goes on to explain how and why an order so deep-rooted, and outwardly so strong, collapsed so quickly after independence under the successor Congress government in New Delhi. The study adds a new dimension to the political history of late colonial India, and has implications for the wider history of the twentieth-century British Empire.

Since the partition of the subcontinent along communal lines, political violence has increased in South Asia. Terrorism is one such manifestation of this violence. This book witnesses serious assessment of various aspects of terrorism that are affecting South Asia as eight scholars of international repute take a closer look at the problem. These essays discuss how terrorist activity in the region during the past few decades can be directly linked to religion-centric violence. Apart from other events, this book looks at prolonged terrorism in Punjab; militancy in Kashmir; ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka; insurgency in northest India; Maoist insurgency in Nepal; and sectarian conflict in Pakistan.

Offering the first long-duration analysis of the relationship between the state and religion in South Asia, this book looks at the nature and origins of Indian secularism. It interrogates the proposition that communalism in India is wholly a product of colonial policy and modernisation, questions whether the Indian state has generally been a benign, or disruptive, influence on public religious life, and evaluates the claim that the region has spawned a culture of practical toleration. The book is structured around six key arenas of interaction between state and religion: cow worship and sacrifice, control of temples and shrines, religious festivals and processions, proselytising and conversion, communal riots, and religious teaching/doctrine and family law. It offers a challenging argument about the role of the state in religious life in a historical continuum, and identifies points of similarity and contrast between periods and regimes. The book makes a significant contribution to the literature on South Asian History and Religion.

Offering the first long-duration analysis of the relationship between the state and religion in South Asia, this book looks at the nature and origins of Indian secularism. It interrogates the proposition that communalism in India is wholly a product of colonial policy and modernisation, questions whether the Indian state has generally been a benign, or disruptive, influence on public religious life, and evaluates the claim that the region has spawned a culture of practical toleration.

The book is structured around six key arenas of interaction between state and religion: cow worship and sacrifice, control of temples and shrines, religious festivals and processions, proselytising and conversion, communal riots, and religious teaching/doctrine and family law. It offers a challenging argument about the role of the state in religious life in a historical continuum, and identifies points of similarity and contrast between periods and regimes. The book makes a significant contribution to the literature on South Asian History and Religion.

Since the partition of the subcontinent along communal lines, political violence has increased in South Asia. Terrorism is one such manifestation of this violence. This book witnesses serious assessment of various aspects of terrorism that are affecting South Asia as eight scholars of international repute take a closer look at the problem. These essays discuss how terrorist activity in the region during the past few decades can be directly linked to religion-centric violence. Apart from other events, this book looks at prolonged terrorism in Punjab; militancy in Kashmir; ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka; insurgency in northest India; Maoist insurgency in Nepal; and sectarian conflict in Pakistan.

Ian Copland's fascinating study of the role played by the Indian princes in the devolution of British colonial power rehabilitates the maharajahs and nawabs of South Asia as subjects for serious historical debate. The author goes on to chart their political demise under the successor congress government in New Delhi, and asks how and why it happened so quickly. The book will add a new dimension to the political history of later colonial India, and will also impact upon the wider history of the twentieth-century British Empire.

Spanning the tperiod from establishment of the Indian National Congress in 1885 and concluding with the first years of independence, this is the story of India's struggle for independence.

The pivotal question posed by the book is how a valued and seemingly permanent imperial possession - the "jewel in the crown" - came to be given its freedom only sixty years after the establishment of the Congress.