An Introduction to South Asian Politics

The second edition of this introductory textbook provides students with an overarching understanding of social, political, and economic institutions of six South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Using democracy as a prism, it evaluates the varied opportunities and constraints facing these states.

Key features include:

• Introduction to the region


• The history and 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 given evolving challenges

The textbook is 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. It is written in an accessible style by country experts, thus offering students of South Asian politics a valuable introduction to an exceedingly diverse and complicated region.

From the first edition:

"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