Outlines a comparative approach to the social dynamics (struggles, adaptations, and cross-border alliances) in regions' bisected borders. Argues that borderland studies provide an indispensable corrective to historical narratives that accept the territoriality to which all modern states lay claim. Discusses borderland culture in relation to space,…

Characterizes the early modern period in world history (roughly 1500-1800) as one marked by worldwide processes of change unprecedented in scope and intensity. Argues that the society of the Indian subcontinent shared directly in the massive processes of change that influenced societies throughout the world. (MJP)