This introductory textbook provides students with a fundamental understanding of the social, political, and economic institutions of six South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It adopts a broad theoretical framework and evaluates the opportunities and constraints facing South Asia's states within the context of democracy.

Key features include:

• An introduction to the region.
• The history and political development of these South Asian states, including evaluations of their democratic trajectories.
• The management of conflict, economic development, and extremist threats.
• A comparative analysis of the states.
• Projections concerning democracy taking into consideration the opportunities and constraints facing these countries.

This textbook will be an indispensable teaching tool for courses on South Asia. It includes pedagogical features such as political chronologies, political party descriptions, text boxes, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading. Written in an accessible style and by experts on South Asian politics, it offers students of South Asian politics a valuable introduction to an exceedingly diverse region.

About the Author

Neil DeVotta is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Wake Forest University. His research interests include South Asian security and politics, ethnicity and nationalism, and democratic transition and consolidation. He is the author of Blowback: Linguistic Nationalism, Institutional Decay, and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka (2004) and the editor of Understanding Contemporary India, Second Edition (2010).

Reviews

"This engaging and nuanced volume provides a comprehensive and balanced survey of the region and countries of South Asia. The well-researched and written 'state of the art' chapters make this an indispensable resource for students, researchers, and laypersons." Shalendra D. Sharma, Professor in the Department of Politics, University of San Francisco, USA

"An Introduction to South Asian Politics provides a timely assessment of democratic development in the region. Neil DeVotta has assembled a group of experts who each provide an excellent account of their case. As well as providing comprehensive background coverage the chapters are leavened by perceptive insights based on the authors' specialist research. Readers will get a solid understanding of how the states of South Asia are changing and how they are integrated at the regional level." Andrew Wyatt, Senior Lecturer, University of Bristol, UK

Book Information
ISBN 9780415822794
Author Neil DeVotta
Format Paperback
Page Count 182
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 340g