Patchwork States argues that the subnational politics of conflict and competition in South Asian countries have roots in the history of uneven state formation under colonial rule. Colonial India contained a complex landscape of different governance arrangements and state-society relations. After independence, postcolonial governments revised colonial governance institutions, but only with partial success. The book argues that contemporary India and Pakistan can be usefully understood as patchwork states, with enduring differences in state capacity and state-society relations within their national territories. The complex nature of territorial governance in these countries shapes patterns of political violence, including riots and rebellions, as well as variations in electoral competition and development across the political geography of the Indian subcontinent. By bridging past and present, this book can transform our understanding of both the legacies of colonial rule and the historical roots of violent politics, in South Asia and beyond.

‘This remarkable book sets the agenda for a new comparative politics focused on the territorially uneven causes and consequences of colonial state penetration and state-building within countries, and across regions such as South Asia (here, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh). Naseemullah integrates three distinct stands in the study comparative politics and political economy of development - violence, electoral competition, and economic development - showing that institutional differentiation traceable to colonial rule goes far in explaining territorial variation in the outcomes that have been the focus of scholars for decades. An overarching explanatory framework makes it possible to ask a host of new questions about the contours and determinants of cross- and subnational variation in patterns of political and economic development. It is groundbreaking work that lays out a research design, hypotheses, and theoretical insights that can travel far beyond South Asia.’

Catherine Boone - Professor of Comparative Politics, London School of Economics

‘Patchwork States is an extremely stimulating analysis of the causal relations between various patterns of state building, harkening back to the colonial era in South Asia, and contemporary forms of violence, political competition and economic development. Naseemullah’s fascinating book disaggregates the trajectories of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh at the sub-national level in a very holistic manner: a comparative tour de force.’

Christophe Jaffrelot - Centre de Recherches Internationales, Sciences Po, Paris

‘Naseemullah’s remarkable book makes an important contribution to our understanding of the colonial legacy. He focuses on more than simply the dead hand of history and brings new insights to the understanding of political competition and conflict through an institutional approach to governance. … His pioneering approach allows for comparative analysis and potential to expand beyond South Asia.’

Yunas Samad Source: Bloomsbury Pakistan

‘Highly recommended.’

M. H. Fisher Source: Choice

‘A masterful historical account of variation in political violence in South Asia.’

Niloufer A. Siddiqui Source: Perspectives on Politics