The Partition of India

An account of the partition of India at independence in 1947.

Ian Talbot (Author), Gurharpal Singh (Author)

9780521672566, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 23 July 2009

226 pages, 11 b/w illus. 5 maps
22.8 x 15.4 x 1.2 cm, 0.37 kg

'One of the nuggets in this book has Altaf Hussain, a modern leader of Pakistan's Mohajir community, describing Partition as 'the biggest blunder in the history of humanity'. In this readable and useful text, the authors set out to make sense of all those who blundered and why, and to set events in a wider context.' Asian Affairs

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.

1. Understanding the partition historiography
2. The road to 1947
3. Violence and partition
4. Migration and resettlement
5. Partition legacies: ethnic and religious nationalism
6. An enduring rivalry: India and Pakistan since 1947.

Subject Areas: 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], Asian history [HBJF], General & world history [HBG]