Nation and its modes of oppressions in South Asia / Sajal Nag.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preface ix;
Acknowledgements xi;
1.The God of Modernity 1;
2. Advent of ‘Nation’ in South Asia 43;
3. Extending the Geography 71;
4.Tyranny of Language 106;
5. Nation Begets Nations 136;
6. Search for National Icons 165;
7. Ousted From the Nation 186;
8. Caught Between Nations 207;
9. Retribution as Nationalism 221;
10. Exiled by the Nation 244;
11. Nation and its Outsiders 265;
12. Nation without Women 286;
13. Nation and its Dissenters 321;
14. Betrayal of the God 336;
Conclusion 355;
Bibliography 372;
Index 383.

"This volume examines nationhood as a concept and how it became the basis of political discourse in South Asia. It studies the emergence of nationalism in modern states as a powerful, omnipotent, and omnipresent form of political identity in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This book examines the idea of a nation, as it originated in medieval Europe, as an unending process of 'othering' individuals, groups, and communities to establish its hegemony, exclusivity, and absolute power within a political discourse. It sheds light on how these new political frameworks in the name of nationalism resulted in conflicts and bloodshed. It unleashed politics of retribution and facilitated majoritarianism, minority persecution, and collective authoritarianism which devastated individuals and collectivities. Further, the author also discusses various prominent ideas and contemporary theories on nationalism alongside pivotal socio-cultural factors which have significantly shaped the formation of modern nation states and their politics. Topical and nuanced, this book will be indispensable to researchers, scholars, and readers interested in nationalism, political science, modern history, political theory, political philosophy, political sociology, political history, post-colonial studies, and South Asia studies"-- Provided by publisher.