The Routledge Handbook of State, Nation and Nationalism in South Asia analyses the nature of postcolonial South Asian states, examines enduring debates on nation and nationalism, and investigates the role of interconnected structure and agency in constructing an idea of nation and nationalism in respective South Asian countries.

Following an introduction by the editor, this book is structured in three sections: 1. Nature of State 2. Imagining a Nation and Nation-Making 3. Contesting Nationalism. Written by a mix of established and young scholars on South Asian politics and related disciplines, this handbook explores the following pertinent questions about the region: What is the nature of the State? Who identifies which identity groups are part of the nation and who are the “others”? What is the “dominant” form of nationalism? Why do identity-based differences and conflict exist?

A useful guide and reference work, this handbook will be of interest to students, academics, and researchers of South Asian Studies and related disciplines.