Book Review: Arjun Guneratne and Anita M. Weiss (eds), Pathways to Power: The Domestic Politics of South Asia
| Date | 01 June 2016 |
| Published date | 01 June 2016 |
| DOI | 10.1177/2321023016634968 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
134 Book Reviews
Hence, engagement with America, as the chapter shows, was as important as the dialogue with an
advance that could be read as what the author calls a ‘“forward policy” against proliferation’. This is
probably the best chapter in the book, and does well to explain why it is imperative that the ‘Indian
policy establishment should step out of Cold War era mindsets and NPT-related apprehensions by apply-
ing fresh perspectives on global initiatives’. Cultural change, according to the author, is essential. It is
only then, as the last chapter that looks beyond the nuclear deal with the US suggests, that India can
actively undertake a global role in the proliferation debate. In sum, this detailed and lucidly written book
is essential reading, belonging on the shelves of academics, journalists, commentators and pundits
working on both India in the twenty-first century as well as those working in the broad area of
non-proliferation.
Rudra Chaudhuri
King’s College, London
E-mail: rudra.chaudhuri@kcl.ac.uk
Arjun Guneratne and Anita M. Weiss (eds), Pathways to Power: The Domestic Politics of South Asia. New
Delhi: Orient Blackswan. 2014. 420 pages. ` 1,070.
DOI: 10.1177/2321023016634968
Arjun Guneratne and Anita M. Weiss seek to provide scholars, students and dilettantes alike with the
building blocks for a comparative conversation on the politics of South Asia. Specifically, through stand-
alone chapters that provide a concise yet comprehensive overview of the political, economic and
social trajectories of five countries in the region, they provide a digestible yet expansive text for under-
graduate education. This will no doubt ease the burden of instructors who often must piece together
disparate sources, particularly when it comes to Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. What’s more, this
volume brings over half a dozen experts on the region—ShabnumTejani (with a chapter on ‘The Colonial
Legacy’), Christophe Jaffrelot (India), Pratyoush Onta and Seira Tamang (Nepal), Haroun Er Rashid
(Bangladesh) and the editors (Guneratne on Sri Lanka, Weiss on Pakistan)—to explore similar pheno-
mena in their respective countries. This provides the ingredients for a comparative dialogue; however,
they leave the cooking for the classroom.
Guneratne and Weiss organize their volume around four broad themes: political histories; identity
politics; the struggle over the rights of subaltern groups and women’s rights; and the costs of militarism
within and across countries. Along with careful description, the goals they set for the book are to explore
how history, identity politics, cultural values, political economy and security interact within countries
and to make thematic comparisons across countries.
As a textbook on South Asia, the most basic objective is to give students the descriptive background
they need on the political, social and economic trajectories these countries have followed. To this end,
each chapter synthesizes critical moments in each country’s political trajectory, ethnic and religious
politics, and the most serious challenges they faced, in terms of pluralism, violence and equality. The
volume improves upon existing texts in several ways. First, the authors pay careful attention to organ-
izing their discussions of historical events into critical moments and their implications. For example,
Christophe Jaffrelot couches his overview of India’s changing dynamics of partisan competition into the
broader social forces that underlie these changes from Hindu nationalism to lower caste movements.
Second, the volume’s discussion of political economy and the struggle for equal rights highlights
the serious obstacles and contradictions these countries face for delivering growth and inclusive devel-
opment in a context of diversity with clarity. Third, and particularly important, the authors go out of their
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