This book analyses the human dimension during and after the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. The chapters investigate questions of belonging and being an “alien”, civil rights and ethnic demands, and broader issues of citizenship and statelessness. The analysis centres around the situation of those who crossed into the Indian side of the border during the Liberation War, the Bengali speaking population who chose Pakistan as their country after the birth of Bangladesh, and “stranded Pakistani” or “Bihari Muslims” living in Bangladesh. The book addresses three key questions: how do the modern nation-states of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh categorize citizens based on the narratives of 1971; how the acceptance of certain groups as part of the Indian citizenry affected its concept of belonging; and, after 1971, how do Pakistan and Bangladesh define who is part of their citizenry, and how do so-called “aliens” negotiate their identity in national debates. A timely contribution to the subject of forced migration, citizenship and identities in South Asia, edited by three academics with Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage, this book will be of interest to a variety of academics studying the history, politics and sociology of South Asia.

This book critically examines the politico-military strategy of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. What began as a power struggle and cultural conflict between West and East Pakistan, later compelled India to intervene—an intervention that decisively shaped and influenced the geo-politics of the region and the global order. This volume is a systematic study of the situation of events, operational art and tactics, cold war politics, international reactions, and their impact on the formulation of the national grand strategy of all three nations. The book discusses various key themes such as the creation of Pakistan and events leading to its secession, the military geography of East Pakistan, state of armed forces of India and Pakistan and India’s humanitarian intervention, the role of Mukti Bahini, and the ambiguous stance of the United Nations in the war. The book offers an appraisal of the performances of the opposing forces and reflects on the inevitability of war and its outcome. It also gives an overview of the state formation of the three nations, encompassing the defining moments of the modern history of these South Asian countries and highlighting the socio-economic progress they have made half a century after the liberation war. A compelling treatise in the history of politico-military strategy, this book will be of interest to scholars and researchers of politics and international relations, partition studies, modern history, military history, South Asian studies, international security, defence and strategic studies, language politics, Islamic history, and refugee and diaspora studies. It will also appeal to general readers interested in the histories of Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India.

This book presents an overview of heterogeneous and homogeneous exemplifications of the concept of motherhood from ancient times until the present day. It discusses the centrality of motherhood in women’s lives, and considers the ways in which the ideology of motherhood and the concept of ideal motherhood are manufactured. This is validated through analysis of various institutional structures of society, including archetypes, religion, and media. The first section of the book locates motherhood in its historical context, and rereads the myths surrounding it as overarching social constructs. The second part explores the different theories, which have developed around motherhood, in order to outline and understand the concept. The section also looks at the lived reality of motherhood.

The Routledge Companion to Gender, Sexuality, and Culture is an intersectional, diverse, and comprehensive collection essential for students and researchers examining the intersection of sexuality and culture. The book seeks to reflect established theories while anticipating future developments within gender, sexuality, and cultural studies. A range of international contributors, including leaders in their field, provide insights into dominant and marginalised subjects. Comprising over 30 chapters, the volume is comprised into five thematic parts: Identifying, Embodying, Making, Doing, and Resisting. Topics explored include homonormativity, poetry, video games, menstruation, fatness, disability, sex toys, sex work, BDSM, dating apps, body modifications, and politics and activism. This is an important and unique collection aimed at scholars, researchers, activists, and practitioners across cultural studies, gender studies and sociology.

Contributed articles presented at the two seminars on same theme at Delhi in 2001 and in Gauhati in 2003 moderated by Astha Bharati and C-NES.

This book encapsulates the creation of Bangladesh with stories of some of those who made it happen —from the perspectives of people who fought for recognition of Bangla as one of the state languages of Pakistan, those who brought the stories of war to life as it progressed through the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendro, operations by valiant military men, sacrifices of Birangonas (women of valour) whose contribution to the liberation of Bangladesh has often been neglected, martyrs who laid down their lives for the birth of the nation, and those who worked among the freedom fighters and refugees and kept their morale high. The emergence of Bangladesh in 1971 shaped both the nation and its narratives that revolved around partition of the subcontinent earlier in 1947. The history of Bangladesh was rewritten from the people’s perspective. The struggle of individuals and families who contributed to the liberation of Bangladesh is etched in blood and it is but natural that their perspectives would inform those interested in studying the history of liberation in a larger context. More than fifty years have passed since Bangladesh was liberated. Yet stories of individual suffering, sacrifices and contributions illustrate how people endured the repression inflicted by the Pakistan Army on them and yet fought gallantly. Three million were killed, 2 million were raped and 10 million became refugees in India. Bangladesh’s liberation war also represents the struggle of a people to preserve their culture and identity. This book captures all these and much more, bringing in reminiscences of what 1971 represented to those who contributed directly to the war of liberation. The book will be of interest to scholars and researchers of politics and international relations, partition studies, South Asian studies and refugee and diaspora studies. The chapters in this book were originally published in Strategic Analysis.

The literary canon implies the evaluation or estimation of certain literary texts as the most important during a particular time. The canon is not merely a set of texts; it is a set of standards, evaluative procedures and values. Belonging to a canon confers a guarantee of literary greatness. A canon is formed, by a particular group, to channelize cultural hegemony over others, or, can be constructed, by a governed group, to bring about cultural symmetry. The rise of diverse literatures in English in different parts of the world after the colonial rule of England was the consequence of an urge to articulate a cultural equilibrium or an urge to strike back. The process of canon formation is also a focused and bigoted act, and is always carried out to accomplish certain self-centred objectives. It is commonly accepted that canon formation is executed to accomplish or naturalize certain ideological functions. In the sphere of Indian English literature, Indian English fiction after the end of the 1980s has emerged as a new “canon”. This book looks into the process of literary canon formation in Indian universities, and examines such fiction as an alternative literary canon and as an anti-imperialistic response to the British literary canon. The book ascertains the anti-imperialistic design involved in forming the canon of post-1980 Indian English fiction, examines the gradual emerging trends in such fiction, and discerns the role of language, culture, and native ethos in the formation of a canon. It also differentiates post-1980s Indian English fiction from British fiction, bhasa fiction, and even from pre-1980s Indian English fiction.

Thanks to its emerging markets, nuclearization and the internet revolution, South Asia is increasingly at the forefront of current affairs. This invaluable reference source seeks to make the region accessible to business travellers as well as to the general reader. The range of subjects to be covered includes major political processes and events of South Asia (elections and electoral politics, political slang, political parties, diplomacy and territorial divisions), domestic and foreign policy, key personalities, political and economic institutions, sub-national groupings and units (regions, cities, provinces and rural entities), ethnicity and identity, and legal systems (laws and court cases). Key features: * Terms, which are frequently misunderstood in the political and economic processes of South Asia, are explained clearly and succinctly * More than 1,000 entries, covering the key debates, issues, concepts and institutions. Entries include: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Caste System, Corruption, dalits, Electoral System, Federalism, Hindu-Muslim relation, India-US Relation, Kashmir, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Nuclearization, Privatization, Reserve Bank of India, Sikh, Untouchability, Urbanization, Atal Behari Vajpayee. Countries covered in this volume include: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

In Gambling with Violence, Yelena Biberman tackles a global problem that is particularly consequential for Pakistan and India: state outsourcing of violence to ordinary civilians, criminals, and ex-insurgents. Why would these countries gamble with their own national security by outsourcing violencearming nonstate actors inside their own borders? Drawing on over 200 interviews, archival research, and fieldwork conducted across Asia, Europe, and North America, Biberman introduces the "balance-of-interests" thesis to deepen our understanding of state-nonstate alliances in civil war. This framework centers on the distribution of power during war and shows how various combinations of interests result in distinct types of coalitions. Incorporating case studies of civil war and counterinsurgency, her book sheds light on how militias, alliances, and South Asian security connect today.