Download Economic and Political Geography of South Asia

Course Title:
Economic and Political Geography of South Asia
Course No:
IS 529N
Total Credits:
Four (4)
Course Teacher:
Dr. Ambrish Dhaka
INTRODUCTION
The course intends to provide the geographical underpinning to the regional
understanding of the South Asia countries. The study aims at providing the framework
for the delineation of regional issues that are sourced in the economic and political
geography of these countries. The geography background helps in exploring the transient
economic-political factors at the neighbourhood and the regional level that define the
unique characteristics of South Asian region. The cross-country comparative of South
Asia's economic geography helps understand the scale of economic convergence and
divergence as a region. The aim is to generate a cohesive understanding of the region, so
that there is focus on regional issues rather than country based issues. The political units
and geographic features of state territory help understand the organisation of the South
Asian societies.
INSTRUCTION METHOD: Lectures, Seminars/Tutorials
EVALUATION PATTERN: Semester Exams, Term paper & Session work
COURSE CONTENTS
1. The South Asia as a region, major physiographic division, major climatic features,
economic features - organisation of principle economic activities, political features- state
and administrative features- capitals and boundaries of the countries.
2. Elements of economic geography:
A. Agriculture systems- agro-climatic regions of South Asia, major commercial
crops- production, efficiency, growth, crop combination pattern analysis,
irrigation development, major crops- wheat, rice and sugarcane, cotton;
plantations- rubber, tea and timber activity, fishing industry in south Asia.
B. Industrial systems- iron & steel, textile, petroleum, cement and chemical
industries. Location of industrial activity- patterns and changes, industrial
agglomerations. Major industrial regions of South Asia, Service sector- growth of
IT sector and outsourcing industry.
C. Biotic and abiotic resources- Iron, coal, aluminium, natural gas & oil, forest and
vegetation- patterns and change, patterns of resource trade.
3. Political and Administrative Geography- geographic basis of the nations in South Asia,
role of frontiers and boundaries, federalism and the state structure; electoral systems and
geography of political representation, administrative geography of South Asian countries.
4. Environment and Climate change in South Asia- Basic concepts of greenhouse effect,
global warming, impact of climate change on agriculture and fishing, issues of inter-&
intra-national resource sharing in South Asia. Energy security in South Asia.
5. Spatial representation of Data, Basic concepts of Mapping and Projections, Use GIS
techniques for Mapping and digital cartography through software applications.
SELECTED READINGS
Ahmed, Ishtiaq. State, Nation and Ethnicity in Contemporary South Asia, 1998, London.
Ch. 2, 3, 4 & 5.
Bradnock, RW & Williams, G. South Asia in a globalising world: a reconstructed
regional geography , 2002, Prentice-Hall.
Chapman, Graham. The geopolitics of South Asia: from early empires to the nuclear age,
2003, Ashgate. Ch. 5, 6, 12, 13, & 14.
Dutt, AK &Geib, MM. Atlas of South Asia, 1998, Oxford & IBH, New Delhi.
East, W. Gordon. The Changing Map Of Asia - A Political Geography, 2007.
Fraser, Neil et al. Geography of a Himalayan kingdom : Bhutan, 2001, New Delhi.
Geddes, A. & Learmonth, ATA.. Man and land in South Asia, 1982, New Delhi.
Gopalkrishen, R. Geography and politics of Afghanistan, 1982, New Delhi.
Gordon, EW. Changing map of Asia, 1971, London.
Karan, PP. Nepal: a cultural and physical geography, 1960, Bombay.
Phadnis, Urmila and Ganguly, Rajat. Ethnicity, Nation-building in South Asia, 2001,
New Delhi. Ch. 1, 2, 3 & 7.
Rashid, HE. New Economic geography of Bangladesh, 1981, Dhaka.
Shafi, Mohammad. Agricultural geography of South Asia, 2000, New Delhi.
Stamp, LD. Asia: A regional and economic geography, 1967, London.
Tayyeb, A. Pakistan: a political geography, 1966, London. Ch. 1, 2, 4, 8 & 9.
Ahmed, Kaji S. A Geography of Pakistan, 1966, Karachi.
Abbasi, BA. Geography of South Asia, 1992, New Delhi.
Ahmad, Nafis. A new economic geography of Bangladesh, 1976, New Delhi.
Ahmed, Nafis. Economic geography of East Pakistan, 1958, London.
Atkinson, ET, Kumaun hills: its history geography and anthropology with reference to
Garhwal and Nepal, 1980, New Delhi.
Bari, SA. Textbook of economic geography (with special reference to India and
Pakistan), 1965, Bombay.
Basham, AL. Civilizations of Monsoon Asia, 1974, New Delhi.
Brammer, Hugh. The geography of the soils of Bangladesh, 1996, Dhaka.
Chibber, HL. Advanced economic geography of India and Pakistan, 1949, Banaras.
Cornish, WB. Modern Geography Series V- Asia, 1969, London.
Dichter, David. The North-West frontier of West Pakistan: a study in regional geography,
1967, Oxford.
Dobby, EHG. Monsoon Asia, 1970, London.
Fujiwara, Kenjo. Recent trends and perspectives in regional geography of South Asia: the
First International Seminar of Research Center for Regional Geography, 1989,
Hiroshima.
Huke, RE. Human Geography of rice in soils of south Asia, 1988, Philippines.
Jalalzai, Musa Khan, A New Hope for Peace in South Asia, 2005, Michigan.
Johnson, BLC, Selective studies of the essential geography of India, Pakistan, and
Ceylon, 1969, London.
Karan, PP. Bhutan: a physical and cultural geography, 1967, Lexington.
Lytle, EE. Bibliography of the geography of Afghanistan : Background for planning,
1976, Monticello.
Rashid, Haroun E. East Pakistan : A systematic regional geography and its development
planning aspects, 1967, Lahore.
Rawson, RR. Monsoon Lands of Asia, 1968, London.
Schmidt, KJ. Atlas and survey of South Asian history, 1999, New Delhi.
Schwartzberg, JE. A Historical Atlas of South Asia, 1993, OUP-USA.
Thapa & Thapa. Geography of Nepal (Physical, economic cultural regional), 1969,
Bombay.
Tirtha, Ranjit. Geography of Asia, 2001, Jaipur.
Verma, HC. Medieval routes to India, 1978, Calcutta.