Identity assertions and context of conflicts in South Asia

Abstract

Identity assertions and conflicts in South Asia are addressed and analysed with a focus on the seven polities of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The complexity behind the emergence of multiple identities as individuals and collectivities, their connection with primordialism and constructivism and hierarchies within identities is discussed. Primary issues that foment conflicts are elaborated upon and analysed in the context of South Asia: the role of the nation-state, the question of identity and equity, identity as a source of inclusion and exclusion and the identity of dominated minorities as a source of insecurity for the ‘nation.’ It is argued that the intersectionality of stratified, heterogeneous, hierarchical and plural societies leads to conflicts specific to South Asia. The central argument that the fundamental problem that besets South Asia is the disjunction between empirical reality and the model of nation-building, adopted from West Europe. Further, the second dimension of disjunction is that of the autonomy of individuals and group identity. It is argued that South Asian states are not nation-states but should be designated as national states which should acknowledge and celebrates cultural diversity and equality between identity groups to decrease conflicts emanating out of identity assertions.