New Books in Middle Eastern Studies Sam Dalrymple, "Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia" (William Collins, 2025)
Sep 4, 2025
Sam Dalrymple, a historian and filmmaker, explores the impact of historical partitions in Asia, highlighting how they shaped modern nation-states. He discusses pivotal events from 1937 to 1971, focusing on the complexities of identity and the role of figures like Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The conversation delves into the hasty decolonization of India post-World War II, the conflicts in Kashmir and Balochistan, and the socio-political challenges leading to Bangladesh's emergence. Dalrymple also offers insights into his future projects and the cultural ties that persist despite borders.
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Five Partitions Reframe South Asia
- Sam Dalrymple reframes regional history as five partitions that transformed the Raj into 12 modern states between 1937 and 1971.
- This framing reveals partition as a multi-decade process, not just the 1947 event.
The Raj Was Geographically Vast
- The official definition of British India included far-flung regions like Aden and Burma under the Viceroy's sovereignty.
- Many people in those regions felt an emergent Indian identity that later unraveled into separate nationalisms.
Nationalism And British Strategy Drove Early Separations
- Indian nationalist visions shaped which regions were seen as part of a future Indian polity, excluding Burma and Arabia in many leaders' imaginations.
- British policy and local separation movements combined to detach Burma and Arabia from India before full independence.
