ABSTRACT
The introduction brings in focus a range of issues on the topic of identity formations and their increasingly vocal and aggressive assertions in contemporary South Asia. It delineates the philosophical origins of the issues of self, subjectivity and identity, which begins in modern times from the age of renaissance. The introduction traces the consequent emergence of the phenomenon of identity, the rise of competing categories of ‘self’ and ‘other,’ nation and national consciousness, inventing strategies of inclusion and exclusion. Yet, identity formation is not limited to the formation of the nation, it can be seen at different levels within the modern state systems – gender, caste, religion, region. Different contributions have explored such dimensions of identity assertions in South Asia.
