The Routledge Handbook of State, Nations and Nationalisms in South Asia highlights the debate on making of postcolonial states in South Asia and conflicting definitions of nation and nationalism and examines the role of different agencies in constructing an idea of nation and nationalism in respective South Asian countries.

Following an introduction by the editor, the book is structured in three sections: 1. Nature of South Asian States 2. Imagining a Nation and Nation-Making in South Asia 3. Contesting Nationalisms in South Asia written by a mix of leading scholars, both established and emerging, on South Asian politics and related disciplines provide an overview of the South Asian states - after more than seven decades of political decolonisation. They analyse some pertinent questions: What is the nature of the State? Which identity groups are part of the nation and who are "enemies"? What is the accepted form of nationalism?

A useful guide and reference work, this handbook will be of interest to students and researchers of South Asian Studies and related disciplines.