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Was the Partition of India inevitable? Was it a ‘clash of civilizations’ between Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs of the Indian subcontinent? Was the Partition a momentous event or a long-drawn-out messy process? Were the experiences of uprooting, violence and rehabilitation in the divided provinces of Bengal and Punjab the same? What are the multiple legacies and memories of the Partition? More than 70 years have passed since this upheaval, yet we continue to grapple with such questions. The Partition remains in the memories of those families and individuals who lived through the trauma of violence and uprooting, the loss of life, and the travails of survival. This short introduction provides a comprehensive account of the causes, experience, and aftermath of this division and acquaints its readers with major debates in a succinct manner. It situates the history and politics of the division within the broader histories of colonial and postcolonial South Asia and draws attention to the multiplicity of meanings of 1947 and their relevance in framing and understanding contemporary challenges in South Asia.

Contents: Preface and Acknowledgements. Introduction: Three Partitions. 1. The road to partition. 2. A mottled dawn. 3. Refugees, citizens and the making of the nation. 4. Legacies, memories and representations. Bibliography. Index.