Political identity in South Asia / edited by David Taylor and Malcolm Yapp C.2

The papers collected in this volume have their origins in a conference held in May 1978 at the School of Oriental and African Studies. Several of the papers, notably those by Brass and Robinson, have been extensively revised and are in effect new papers which present their authors' ideas in a more fully developed form. One of the main inspirations for the conference was Paul Brass's earlier work on the political impli cations of language and religion in northern India (as might be deduced from the titles of several of the papers). His writings have had the salutary effect of asking students of South Asia to consider carefully the criteria they used to identify ethnic groups and the political significance of such groups; the confer ence was designed both to extend the geographical scope of the inquiry within South Asia and to discuss the theoretical problems involved in relating political

identity and action to specific cultural variables. Political identity in its broadest sense is coeval with political organization; in another sense it is part of of any conscious political acti action. Our interest here is more limited. We are concerned with the development, during the recent past, certain of claims that for Patterns of identity should form the criteria the creation of nation states, or of distinct political arenas within such states, or for the to know which patteical bargaining units. organization of prominent in achieving We want of identity have been most such a political role and why a port men chose them.