Partition of India : why 1947? / edited by Kaushik Roy.

The year 1947 was a turning point in the history of South Asia. The independence of British India resulted in two sovereign states: India and Pakistan. This book analyses two important dimensions of the Partition-timing and causation. The essays by prominent scholars study the long- and short-term causes of the Partition, beginning with the elections of 1936-7 and the subsequent formation of Congress government in most provinces. They outline the major debates and their changing nature over time. The volume ends with the analysis of events that led to the acceptance of the Partition plan in 1947 by all major parties. The Introduction examines contours of the debate and also situates the Partition in the context of current historiography. This book will be of considerable interest to scholars and students of modern Indian history and politics.

PREFACE ; INTRODUCTION BY KAUSHIK ROY ; 1. THE PARTING OF THE WAYS BY G.D. KHOSLA ; 2. CONCLUDING REVIEW BY SATISH SABERWAL ; 3. NATIONALISM VERSUS COMMUNALISM BY GYANENDRA PANDEY ; 4. ISLAM AND MUSLIM SEPARATISM BY FRANCIS ROBINSON ; 5. THE LOCAL ROOTS OF THE PAKISTAN MOVEMENT: THE ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY BY MUSHIRUL HASAN ; 6. THE SECOND PARTITION OF BENGAL BY PARTHA CHATTERJEE ; 7. THE 1947 UNITED BENGAL MOVEMENT: A THESIS WITHOUT A SYNTHESIS BY BIDYUT CHAKRABARTY ; 8. THE SIKHS AND THE PROSPECT OF PAKISTAN BY INDU BANGA ; 9. THE SUCCESS OF THE MUSLIM LEAGUE: JUNE 1945 TO MARCH 1946 BY ANITA INDER SINGH ; 10. TOWARDS PARTITION: THE CABINET MISSION BY PENDEREL MOON ; 11. WHY GANDHI ACCEPTED THE DECISION TO PARTITION INDIA BY SUCHETA MAHAJAN

Includes bibliographical references and index.