POLIS 2131 - South Asia: Conflict, Politics and Economic Change

This course examines one of the most populous, diverse and politically and economically dynamic regions in the world. Focussing primarily on India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the course analyses the key domestic challenges and developments facing these countries and the ways in which these domestic issues affect their regional and international strategic calculations. Among the topics to be looked at are: democracy and authoritarianism; caste, class, region and politics; religious nationalism; terrorism; nuclear weapons; insurgencies and separatist movements; and poverty and economic growth. These issues will be explored at both the conceptual and policy levels to give students a solid theoretical and empirical grounding in the study of South Asia. Among the key questions to be explored are: why has democracy flourished in India but not Pakistan; what explains the rise of religious nationalism in South Asia; what has driven India's economic growth and have the benefits of this growth been evenly spread; how is India negotiating its rise to power; why has the Kashmir conflict been so intractable; have nuclear weapons increased or decreased South Asia's strategic stability and what are the causes and consequences of Sri Lanka's civil conflict?