'The Bengal Borderland' constitutes the epicentre of the partition of British India. Yet while the forging of international borders between India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma (the 'Bengal Borderland') has been a core theme in Partition studies, these crucial borderlands have, remarkably, been largely ignored by historians.

'In this comprehensive studey, Van Schendel looks at cross-border linkages, interterritorial economies, the culture of the borderlanders, the policies of the respective states, and goods… A must-read for those interested in understanding South Asian politics.' —'Choice'

Willem van Schendel is Professor of Modern Asian History at the University of Amsterdam and heads the Asia department of the International Institute of Social History at Amsterdam. Formerly, he held the chair of Comparative History at Erasmus University, Rotterdam.