The Great Partition: The Making of India and PakistanThe Partition of India in 1947 promised its people both political and religious freedomthrough the liberation of India from British rule, and the creation of theMuslim state of Pakistan. Instead, the geographical divide brought displacement and death, and it benefited the few at the expense of the very many. Thousands of women were raped, at least one million people were killed, and ten to fifteen million were forced to leave their homes as refugees. One of the first events of decolonization in the twentieth century, Partition was also one of the most bloody.In this book Yasmin Khan examines the context, execution, and aftermath of Partition, weaving together local politics and ordinary lives with the larger political forces at play. She exposes the widespread obliviousness to what Partition would entail in practice and how it would affect the populace.Drawing together fresh information from an array of sources, Khan underscores the catastrophic human cost and shows why the repercussions of Partition resound even now, some sixty years later. The book is an intelligent and timely analysis of Partition, the haste and recklessness with which it was completed, and the damaging legacy left in its wake." |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
administrative announced armed army Asian August Bangladesh became become Bengal Bombay border boundary British Calcutta called camps civil collective colonial communities Congress continued Delhi district Divide division East elections face fear feeling followed forced freedom future Gandhi groups hands Hindu idea imperial Independence India and Pakistan Jinnah July June Karachi killed Lahore land later leaders League living London looked major March meaning meeting Memory military million Minister months Mountbatten move Muslim Muslim League nationalist Nehru North officers organised Oxford University Press Partition peace police political politicians population princely provinces Punjab refugees regional religious remained remembered reported riots side Sikhs social soldiers South Asia Speech started stories streets territory town train trying United villages violence West whole women workers wrote
References to this book
South Asia's Cold War: Nuclear Weapons and Conflict in Comparative Perspective Rajesh M. Basrur No preview available - 2008 |