Decentring the Indian Nation

After achieving independence in 1947 India's elite opted to build a modern nation-state. This vision was carefully nurtured during the fight for freedom from British rule by the dominant Congress movement. In recent years the idea of a centralized state has been challenged from a number of directions. Strong regional political movements have questioned the assumption that India's federal system requires a dominant centre. The related trend of identity-based mobilization has challenged settled notions of Indian national identity. In this volume, social scientists with backgrounds in politics, geography and development studies examine various centrifugal forces apparent in recent Indian politics. The authors discuss the idea that as a nation, India is becoming "decentred", and consider the implications of this idea for the development of the Indian polity.