In a comparative and historical study of the interplay between democratic politics and  
authoritarian states in post-colonial South Asia, Ayesha Jalal explains how a common
British colonial legacy led to apparently contrasting patterns of political development
- democracy in India and military authoritarianism in Pakistan and Bangladesh. The
analysis shows how, despite differences in form, central political authority in each state
came to confront broadly comparable threats from regional and linguistic dissidence,
religious and sectarian strife, as well as class and caste conflicts. By comparing and
contrasting state structures and political processes, the author evaluates and redefines
 democracy, citizenship, sovereignty and the nation-state, arguing for a more decentralized
government structure better able to arbitrate between ethnic and regional movements.
This original and provocative study challenges students and scholars in the field to rethink
traditional concepts of democracy and authoritarianism in South Asia.