Following the death of the great historian, Ainslie T. Embree, this remarkable document was found in his study, a project to which he had devoted the last years of his life. It is an insightful exploration of how the boundaries of the modern South Asian states were created in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, based on a careful examination of original materials in archives in England and India. Artfully written with rich local detail, this book reveals the fascinating interplay of colonial and local interests as the modern states were carved into being. It is destined to be a classic in the history of South Asian nation building.
Ainslie T. Embree was for many years professor of history at Columbia University. He also taught in Indore, India, served in the US Embassy in New Delhi, and was President of the Association of Asian Studies and the American Institute of Indian Studies. Among his many books was Charles Grant and the British Rule in India. Mark Juergensmeyer, editor, is a professor of sociology and global studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has previously edited two of Embree's books of essays, Utopias in Conflict and Imagining India.