The State of Being Stateless : An Account of South Asia

Statelessness is defined as the quality of being without a state, a nationality, or even the protection that nationality should offer. This volume brings together the lived experiences of diverse stateless groups within a comparative framework, using research conducted across dissimilar groups in different geographical locations India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. Demonstrating that continued situations of dislocation and/or refugeehood can produce statelessness, the book elaborates a new way of thinking about this increasingly important field of study, and suggests a way towards framing better and more inclusive international and national laws to deal with this issue.

Paula Banerjee is Associate Professor, Department of South and South East Asian Studies, University of Calcutta; and President, Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group, Kolkata.

Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury is Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, Kolkata.

Atig Ghosh is Assistant Professor, Department of History, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan; and Honorary Researcher, Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group, Kolkata.