Shattered Lands - Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia

A history of modern South Asia told through five partitions that reshaped it. We think of the Raj as controlling only India and Pakistan, and its breakup happening in August 1947. In reality, a quarter of the world''s population was ruled by the Viceroy from New Delhi, in a single market/rupee-currency zone that spread from the Red Sea to the borders of Thailand - an empire within an empire that included Burma, parts of Yemen, and most of the Gulf states like Dubai. The breakup of this single ''Indian Empire'' created almost all of the conflicts which plague Asia today. These include civil wars in Burma and Sri Lanka, the ongoing insurgencies in Kashmir, Baluchistan and North East India, the Iranian Revolution, the rise of the Taliban, and most recently the Rohingya genocide. The partitions under the microscope in this book will be The Partition of Burma, the Great Partition, the Partition of Princely India, the Partition of Arabia, and the Partition of Pakistan. Combining narrative history based on archival materials, first-hand accounts and new interviews conducted by the author, this is an accessible introduction to the continuing legacy of empire and to twentieth-century South Asia.

About the author

SAM DALRYMPLE's acclaimed debut book, Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia, was an international bestseller, a #1 bestseller in India, and was named one of "the best history books to read in 2025" by The Week. It has been translated into three languages (Hindi, Marathi and Malayalam), was shortlisted for the 2025 Eastern Eye Award for History and longlisted for the Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman 2025 for Best Debut. Dalrymple is a Delhi-raised Scottish historian and award-winning filmmaker. He has worked across South and Central Asia and in 2018, he co-founded Project Dastaan, a peace-building initiative that reconnects refugees displaced by the 1947 Partition of India. His debut film, Child of Empire, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2022, and his animated series Lost Migrationssold out at the BFI the same year. He runs the history Substack @travelsofsamwise.

Product details

• Authors: Sam Dalrymple
• Publisher: William Collins
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 19.06.2025
• EAN: 9780008466824
• ISBN: 978-0-00-846682-4
• Dimensions: 153 mm x 234 mm x 44 mm
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000, English, HISTORY / Middle East / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Colonialism & Post-Colonialism, HISTORY / Historical Geography, Later 20th century c 1950 to c 1999, Colonialism and imperialism, Asian History, Human rights, civil rights, Indian sub-continent, South Asia (Indian sub-continent), National liberation & independence, post-colonialism, c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period), National liberation and independence, Regional, state & other local government, HISTORY / Asia / South / General, Decolonisation and postcolonial studies, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Cultural & Regional