The 1930s was a critical decade in Indian politics. It saw the Congress Party begin its rise to political dominance, while Indian 'big business' strengthened its position in the economy. This book seeks to analyse the response of India's most important indigenous businessmen to the growth of political nationalism. Dr Markovits' study falls into three parts: an analysis of the structure of the business class, revealing its basic heterogeneity and lack of political unity; an examination of the impact of the Depression of the 1930s on the fortunes of Indian businessmen and on government economic...

This is the first detailed comparative analysis of electorates in Sri Lanka since 1947. Dilesh Jayanntha examines electoral allegiance in three contrasting constituencies--Sandville, Mirville and Jung Town--and demonstrates how patronage networks based initially on wealth and later on access to and control of state institutions determined electoral allegiance. Often the patronage network was congruent with caste. But, as Jayanntha shows, where the patron-client tie cut across the caste tie it was the former which proved decisive in deciding electoral allegiance.

South India is often portrayed as a land of Hindu orthodoxy, yet in fact three great "world religions" have interacted in the region over many centuries. This book uses a powerful combination of oral, literary, and architectural evidence to investigate the social and religious world of those large and influential groups of South Indians who came to identify themselves as Christians and Muslims, while retaining powerful links with the religion and culture of the wider society. The author shows how Christianity and Islam spread along the military and agricultural frontiers of southern India,...

Using a wealth of historical material and in-depth interviews, the author looks at the development of the institution of the pir, its power base and the mechanics of the system of control into which the pirs were drawn. The overall success of the political system depended on the willingness of the elite to participate and Dr. Ansari argues that it did indeed work in Sind. This enabled the British to govern while allowing the pirs to adapt to colonial rule, and later independence, without serious damage to their interests.

Schur algebras are an algebraic system that provide a link between the representation theory of the symmetric and general linear groups. Dr. Martin gives a self-contained account of this algebra and those links, covering the basic ideas and their quantum analogues. He discusses not only the usual representation-theoretic topics (such as constructions of irreducible modules, the structure of blocks containing them, decomposition numbers and so on) but also the intrinsic properties of Schur algebras, leading to a discussion of their cohomology theory. He also investigates the relationship...

In this comprehensive analysis of gender and property throughout South Asia, Bina Agarwal argues that the most important economic factor affecting women is the gender gap in command over property. In rural South Asia, few women own land and even fewer control it. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including field research, the author addresses the reason for this imbalance, and asks how the barriers to ownership can be overcome. The book offers original insights into the current theoretical and policy debates on land reform and women's status.

In an original study of the relationship between state and civil society in Pakistan, Paula Newberg demonstrates how, over the course of almost five decades, the courts have influenced the development of its constitutions and state structure. By examining judicial decisions, particularly at times of political crisis, she considers how tensions within the judiciary, and between courts and other state institutions, have affected the ways political society views itself, and explores the effects of these debates on the organization of political power.

At the end of the First World War, India's government officials and nationalist politicians began to recognize the need for an organized communications network. The challenge for government and nationalists alike was to create a propaganda machine that could disseminate news to a large and diverse population, at the same time eliciting the desired political response. Milton Israel describes the role of the press in the last stage of the nationalist struggle in India on the eve of the British departure.

Using a wealth of historical material and in-depth interviews, the author looks at the development of the institution of the pir, its power base and the mechanics of the system of control into which the pirs were drawn. The overall success of the political system depended on the willingness of the elite to participate and Dr. Ansari argues that it did indeed work in Sind. This enabled the British to govern while allowing the pirs to adapt to colonial rule, and later independence, without serious damage to their interests.

From 1400 to 1750, Asian capital cities were often ruled in such a way that they became symbols of the power and influence their emperors extended over their states at large. These 'sovereign cities' became the empire in miniature. Shahjahanabad is the first study of a pre-modern Indian city (Old Delhi) as a sovereign city. Stephen Blake explores the way in which the emperors' and nobles' palaces and mansions dominated the landscape; how cultural life revolved around that of the emperors and their families; and how the households of the great men also dominated the urban economy and...