Self and Sovereignty

This text surveys the role of individual Muslim men and women within India and Pakistan from 1850 through to decolonization and the partition period. Commencing in colonial times, the book explores and interprets the historical processes through which the perception of the Muslim individual and the community of Islam has been reconfigured over time. The book examines the relationship between Islam and nationalism and the individual, regional, class and cultural differences that have shaped the discourse and politics of Muslim identity. As well as discussing the political and religious movements, culture and art, this book includes analysis of: press, poetry and politics in late 19th-century India; the politics of language and identity - Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi; Muslim identity, cultural difference and nationalism; the Punjab and the politics of Union and Disunion; and the creation of Pakistan. Covering a period of immense upheaval and sometimes devastating violence, this work aims to present an important and enlightening insight into the history of Muslims in South Asia.

'Jalal has produced an outstanding book, which brings a new level of understanding to the recent history of that third of the world's Muslims who live in South Asia.' - Francis Robinson, Asian Affairs February 2002