Description
Book SynopsisChallenges the conventional beliefs that territorial autonomy demands are a reaction to centralized power and that governments resist autonomy to preserve central prerogatives. The centre has allegiances in regional politics, and ethnoterritorial violence reflects the center's entanglement with rival interests in the periphery.
Trade ReviewRival Claims is an important contribution to the literature on territorial autonomy generally and Indian federalism more specifically. Bethany Lacina advances an important and so far largely neglected argument on when demands for autonomy occur and when they result in conflict."" - Simon Hug, Université de Genève
""Lacina convincingly shows political changes previously attributed to center-periphery conflicts are actually best understood as a reaction to local politics in the periphery. This book is an invaluable reference for scholars of modern India. The depth of knowledge on display is prodigious."" - Jacob Shapiro, Princeton University
