This course provides an introduction to the society, economy, and politics of South Asia, a region that is home to a quarter of the world’s population. It is a region of striking contrasts: while it hosts the second largest share of the world’s extreme poor after Sub-Saharan Africa, it is also home to the some of its wealthiest individuals. How the region navigates its unique development challenges amidst the ongoing climate crisis, increasing rural-urban migration, and high levels of ethnic diversity will have profound implications for global peace and development.
We will focus on six major themes during the course of the semester: (i) Colonialism and its legacies, (ii) Nationalism and state formation, (iii) Identity and ethnicity (iv) political economy of development, (v) migration and nativism, and (vi) civil society. In engaging with these themes, we will examine how colonialism has shaped modern day institutions and welfare outcomes across the region; why poor countries like India remain democratic, while other equally poor countries, such as Pakistan don’t, whether identity politics has strengthened or undermined democracy, why ethnic violence erupts and persists in some regions but not in others, the opportunities and challenges presented by large-scale internal and international migration, and transformative potential and pitfalls of social movements.
To address these questions, we will draw from a wide array of source materials, including seminal texts from history, political science, economics, anthropology, as well as long-form journalism, podcasts, and film. We will engage with case studies from various South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Our examination of political and economic phenomena will span various scales, from the macro-level of nation-states and their political institutions to the micro-scale of municipalities, households, and the individual. The primary goal is for students to understand the historical, institutional, and cultural factors that have shaped modern South Asia, and to appreciate how the region’s unique experience informs global debates on democracy and development.
We will focus on six major themes during the course of the semester: (i) Colonialism and its legacies, (ii) Nationalism and state formation, (iii) Identity and ethnicity (iv) political economy of development, (v) migration and nativism, and (vi) civil society. In engaging with these themes, we will examine how colonialism has shaped modern day institutions and welfare outcomes across the region; why poor countries like India remain democratic, while other equally poor countries, such as Pakistan don’t, whether identity politics has strengthened or undermined democracy, why ethnic violence erupts and persists in some regions but not in others, the opportunities and challenges presented by large-scale internal and international migration, and transformative potential and pitfalls of social movements.
To address these questions, we will draw from a wide array of source materials, including seminal texts from history, political science, economics, anthropology, as well as long-form journalism, podcasts, and film. We will engage with case studies from various South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Our examination of political and economic phenomena will span various scales, from the macro-level of nation-states and their political institutions to the micro-scale of municipalities, households, and the individual. The primary goal is for students to understand the historical, institutional, and cultural factors that have shaped modern South Asia, and to appreciate how the region’s unique experience informs global debates on democracy and development.
- Teacher: Shashwat Dhar