ABSTRACT
Countries in contemporary South Asia have seen hundreds of thousands of violent deaths within their borders caused by ethnic subnationalist insurgencies since the end of colonial rule in the mid-twentieth century. The twin post-colonial projects of nation-building and state-building have been only partially successful in these states. After all, violent conflict between the central government and subnationalist ethnic groups is not ubiquitous but only occurs at particular point in time. In this attempt, nine noted scholars have provided detailed micro-historical analysis of the emergence, dynamics, and trajectories of their particular case of ethnic subnationalist insurgency in South Asia. Political conditions conducive to ethnic insurgency include either a restricted conception of national identity not inclusive of minority ethnic groups, or the erosion of effective federalism with the centralized of power at the national level. The centralized nature of the state in Pakistan has also been an important factor in the onset of ethnonationalist insurgencies in that country.
