Tells the story of one of the world's greatest cultural heartlands - the Indian subcontinent. This book shows how geological movements moulded the land of this unique cradle and how they impact on it; from the early settlers, the great Mogul Empire and the British Raj, through the impact of railways, and the spread of representative democracy.
Anyone who is planning on carrying out research in South Asia or indeed anyone who simply wishes to understand more about this cultural heartland should read this book. It shows how geological movements moulded the land of this unique cradle and how they still impact on it. Discussions are woven around the three major forces of integration. These are 'identitive' forces - bonds of language, ethnicity, religion or ideology; 'utilitarian' forces - bonds of common material interest, and 'coercion' - the institutional use or threat of physical violence. By studying these forces, Professor Chapman shows how the organization of territory has been central to the region's historic, cultural, linguistic and economic development. In addition to the material on the Northwest frontier, Afghanistan and Kashmir which was added for the second edition, the Northeastern borderlands are also now examined in this fully revised third edition. The current geopolitical state of the region is completely updated and greatly enhanced.
'...based on more than a quarter-of-a-century of research there, he provides both a focused examination of South Asian geopolitics and a highly readable introduction to the political geography of a key geopolitical region.' Ron J. Johnston, Bristol University, UK '...offers a sweeping and highly original survey of the history of what are now the republics of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh...What makes this book of particular interest is its consistent and sophisticated concern with the working or absence of the major forces - identitive, utilitarian, and coercive - making for regional integration during various periods of history and at scales of analysis ranging from the local to the global.' Joseph Schwartzberg, University of Minnesota, USA 'Chapman offers a long-term historical view of the civilisation in which the two concerns of geopolitics - space and power - have to be understood...[he] offers to a mixed audience of social scientists and interested laymen a comprehensive and intelligible view of South Asian civilisation. This is a daunting task but Chapman's selection is economical and effective...Chapman pulls off his ambitious project, producing a book which should be useful for geographers, historians and students of politics.' Times Higher Education Supplement 'This is a remarkable book for the simple reason that the complex disciplines of religion, history, geography, politics, economics and international relations have been finely distilled...to provide a lucid account of the life and times of S. Asia.' Contemporary South Asia 'Part three contains an extremely perceptive analysis of the process leading to the independence and separation of India and Pakistan in 1947, and the later separation of Bangladesh...This is an erudite and very readable account of the historical and recent geopolitics of South Asia...' Geography 'The whole story is skilfully told, interweaving discussions of society, culture...in different pl
