THE OXFORD HISTORY OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY READING

p.245 extracted from Judith Brown, "South Asia, Chapter 20"

A major problem common to all the larger states in the region is the fact that they are plural societies, including several markedly different religious, ethnic, and regional groups. Although they emerged as states out of nationalist movements and in the name of 'nations', they do not have homogeneous social foundations. This has made the construction of national political communities particularly problematic, as the meaning of national identity has been disputed by people with very deep and often very different senses of public identity, grounded in religion, language, culture, and ethnicity. Most national leaders have recognized this problem and have sought a slogan or a genuine ideology which would integrate or overcome these other identities. Jawaharlal Nehru, for example, was a passionate exponent of the vision of a secular, inclusive India, where India's minorities (particularly the millions of Muslims remaining after partition) would be secure; and where the dominant identity would be a common citizenship in a country dedicated to forging a better and more equal society for all. Pakistan's leaders have struggled with the possible role of Islam as a unifying force, as have Sri Lanka's politicians with the place of Buddhism in national identity. Western observers once tended to see subnational identities as one of a range of primordial loyalties which would disappear under the impact of 'modernization'. What is now clear is that many of these loyalties are neither traditional nor static: they are dynamic and often feed on new economic and educational opportunities, particularly where these are unevenly available.