The Geopolitics of South Asia

'...based on more than a quarter-of-a-century of research there, he provides both a focused examination of South Asian geopolitics and a highly readable introduction to the political geography of a key geopolitical region.' Ron J. Johnston, Bristol University, UK '...offers a sweeping and highly original survey of the history of what are now the republics of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh...What makes this book of particular interest is its consistent and sophisticated concern with the working or absence of the major forces - identitive, utilitarian, and coercive - making for regional integration during various periods of history and at scales of analysis ranging from the local to the global.' Joseph Schwartzberg, University of Minnesota, USA 'Chapman offers a long-term historical view of the civilisation in which the two concerns of geopolitics - space and power - have to be understood...[he] offers to a mixed audience of social scientists and interested laymen a comprehensive and intelligible view of South Asian civilisation. This is a daunting task but Chapman's selection is economical and effective...Chapman pulls off his ambitious project, producing a book which should be useful for geographers, historians and students of politics.' Times Higher Education Supplement 'This is a remarkable book for the simple reason that the complex disciplines of religion, history, geography, politics, economics and international relations have been finely distilled...to provide a lucid account of the life and times of S. Asia.' Contemporary South Asia 'Part three contains an extremely perceptive analysis of the process leading to the independence and separation of India and Pakistan in 1947, and the later separation of Bangladesh...This is an erudite and very readable account of the historical and recent geopolitics of South Asia...' Geography 'The whole story is skilfully told, interweaving discussions of society, culture...in different pl