KARACHI: A new academic volume, “South Asia from the Margins: Transformations in the Political Space,” is set to be published by Routledge International in 2025, offering a fresh perspective on the political landscape of South Asia. Spearheaded by Dr. Asad ur Rehman, an Assistant Professor at Habib University, the book seeks to reshape the discourse around the region by focusing on its geographic and social peripheries.
The volume is the culmination of a four-year collaborative effort rooted in the 2021-2022 conference “Whither Politics and Policy in South Asia: Building a Regional Perspective.” This event gathered scholars from across the subcontinent to challenge conventional, nation-centric frameworks and consider the future of South Asia from its margins.
Unlike typical academic works that emphasize nationalism or security within single nations, this book adopts an interdisciplinary approach. By centering on marginalized communities often overlooked in mainstream discourse, it aims to transcend national boundaries and foster more inclusive political analyses.
A driving force behind the volume is the perceived imbalance in Western academic representations of South Asia. The book critiques the tendency to equate “South Asia” predominantly with Indian studies, often neglecting countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. This marginalization is seen as mirroring geopolitical strategies, such as India’s preference for BIMSTEC over SAARC, which redefines the region’s contours.
Recent developments, including terrorist attacks in Pahalgam and tensions along the India-Pakistan border, underscore the interconnectedness of South Asian nations. These events highlight the region’s shared histories and challenges, reinforcing the book’s argument for the significance of the margins.
Dr. Rehman’s own contribution, “Overviewing the Regime of Practical Citizenship in Rural Pakistan,” delves into the lived experiences of citizenship in rural Punjab. His chapter examines how daily interactions with state and community actors shape individuals’ sense of belonging, challenging traditional definitions of citizenship.
The volume stands out for its methodological diversity and collaborative ethos, avoiding overarching narratives and embracing the region’s political plurality. It represents a rigorous editorial effort and a collective dedication to reevaluating South Asia from the ground up.
Amid debates over the identity and boundaries of South Asia, “South Asia from the Margins” offers a timely intervention, advocating for a perspective that values the insights from the region’s peripheries to better understand its complex realities.