The Partition of India

The British divided and quit India in 1947. The partition of India and the creation of Pakistan uprooted entire communities and left unspeakable violence in its trail. This volume tells the story of partition through the events that led up to it, the terrors that accompanied it, to migration and resettlement. In a new shift in the understanding of this seminal moment, the book also explores the legacies of partition which continue to resonate today in the fractured lives of individuals and communities, and more broadly in the relationship between India and Pakistan and the ongoing conflict over contested sites. In conclusion, the book reflects on the general implications of partition as a political solution to ethnic and religious conflict. The book, which is accompanied by photographs, maps and a chronology of major events, is intended for students as a portal into the history and politics of the Asian region.

Ian Talbot is Professor of History at the University of Southampton. His recent publications include The Deadly Embrace: Religion, Politics and Violence in India and Pakistan 1947-2002 (ed., 2007) and Divided Cities: Partition and its Aftermath in Lahore and Amritsar 1947-1957 (2006). Gurharpal Singh in Nadir Dinshaw Professor of Inter-Religious Relations in the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham. His recent publications include Governance in Multicultural Societies (ed. with John Rex, 2004) and Culture and Economy in the Indian Diaspora (ed. with Bhikhu Parekh and Steven Vertovec, 2003).