Partitions. Reshaping States and Minds

The partition of the Indian Continent, the collapse of the Soviet Union and erstwhile Yugoslavia, the reunification of Germany, the continuing feud between the two Koreas, the Irish peace process, the case of Israel/Palestine and the lingering division of Cyprus have together fuelled new thinking on the strategy and acts of partitioning countries, states, nations and continuities. They have also given rise to a huge body of literature. However, studies of partitions have usually focused on individual cases. This innovative volume uses comparative analyses to fill the gap in partition studies and examines cross-cutting issues such as: Violence State formation and state building Regional politics Union and regional unification Peace policies Transitional strategies Geopolitics Historical experiences of decolonization and transition Forms of violence and violent transition are worthy of analysis in their own right; the impact of various forms of violence on current politics, such as ethnological and territorial conflicts or regional pogroms, is not confined to a locality that witnesses the partition of polity – its impact is global. And as there is a strong link between partition, local violence and globalization, there is a real need for cutting-edge comparative framework that goes behind area-centric readings but is gender sensitive, and sums up the experiences and implications of partition. This book will be of great interest to historians, political scientists, philosophers, policy-makers, international relations experts, and peace building institutions and practitioners, and political scientists.