India's Partition: Process, Strategy and Mobilization

by Mushirul Hasan (Editor)

A collection of essays analyzing the events leading to the partition of India and to the birth of Pakistan, this book argues against the theory that "Muslim separatism" was the cause behind the cataclysmic event, India's partition, and the subsequent birth of the two nations. Hasan outlines
the reasons behind the sudden rise of the Muslim League from a relatively insignificant position to that of being the strongest representative of the Muslim community in India. He ascribes it to a series of miscalculations on the part of the ministries with the League and its claim of being the
sole mouthpiece of the Indian Nationalist opinion. The first four chapters of the book include extracts from the speeches and writings of Nehru, Jinnah, Azad, and Gandhi. Then there are essays, by noted historians in the field, which look at issues such as the political representation of Muslims;
the organization and groups and of the rural elite in local and national level politics; the constitutional design and personal charisma of Jinnah in relation to the demand for Pakistan; and the rejection of "community consciousness" among Muslims as the driving force behind the formation of
Pakistan.

Genres: India

436 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 1993

About the author

Mushirul Hasan was a renowned scholar and historian of modern India. He wrote extensively on the partition of India, communalism, and on the history of Islam in South Asia.

Reviews

[Dan Nuxoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would not recommend this book to the average reader. Nonetheless, it is an interesting book which raises a significant question. The bulk of the book consists of academic papers that discuss politics in India prior to the 1947 partition. Much of the book concerns politics among the Muslims, though the Congress party and British are never far off the scene.

I learned a number of things. First, the Congress party had a mixed attitude towards Muslims. Some members of the party welcomed Muslims; others did not. When the party came into power in state governments, Muslims were sometimes excluded from positions of power. Second, the Muslim League was not a real power in India until about 1940, and they faced significant problems organizing the Muslim community so that they could claim to speak for the Muslim community.

A number of the authors observe that Hindus and Muslims living in the same geographic area did share many of the cultural practices. Bengali Muslims were more like Bengali Hindus than than like Punjabi Muslims. Nonetheless, there were differences, and communal riots had plagued India during the early 20th century. There were also concerns about government partiality, especially in light of Congress’s practices when governing. Congress’ nominal commitment to secularism was not reassuring.

This book raises the issue of how to organize a government when a minority community is concerned about its rights, especially when the minority community has a different culture. Clearly, this is a problem that the United States has faced for many years, and the answer has been assimilation. While the United States is more of a stew than a melting pot, ethnic differences have not been a major source of controversy. The question arises when the ethnic group desires to maintain its identity.

Obviously, contemporary India has not solved this problem. One wonders how any society can solve this problem.