PEAC 017. South Asia in Global Perspective: Identity, Democracy, and Development

GLBL 017
This course provides an introduction to the society, economy, and politics of South Asia, a region that is home to a quarter of the world’s population. It is a region of striking contrasts: while it hosts the second largest share of the world’s extreme poor after Sub-Saharan Africa, it is also home to the some of its wealthiest individuals. How the region navigates its unique development challenges amidst the ongoing climate crisis, increasing rural-urban migration, intense social conflict, and high levels of ethnic diversity will have profound implications for global peace and development. We will focus on five major themes during the course of the semester: (i) Colonialism and its legacies, (ii) Nationalism and state formation, (iii) Identity and ethnicity (iv) political economy of development, and (v) migration and nativism. In engaging with these themes, we will examine how colonialism shaped post-colonial institutional and social development; why poor countries like India remain democratic, while other equally poor countries, such as Pakistan don’t; whether identity politics strengthens or undermines democracy; why ethnic violence erupts and persists in some places but not in others; and the challenges and opportunities presented by large-scale internal and international migration. To address these questions, we will draw on seminal texts across a wide range of social science disciplines alongside empirical work and case studies from different South Asian countries. The primary goal is for students to understand the historical, institutional, and social forces that have shaped political and economic development in South Asia, and to appreciate how these experiences inform global discussions on democracy and development.
1 Credit.
Eligible for GLBL
Spring 2026. Dhar.

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