"Bangladesh did not exist as an independent state until 1971. Willem van Schendel's history navigates the extraordinary twists and turns that created modern Bangladesh through ecological disaster, colonialism, partition and a war of independence. This is an eloquent introduction to a fascinating country and its resilient and inventive people." -- Publisher's statement from back cover.

Includes maps of: Catchment Area of the Bengal Delta; Ancient Sites; Trade Routes Passing through the Bengal Delta; Bengal in the Mughal Period; Areas of Bangladeshi Out-migration from the Nineteenth Century; Division of the Province of Bengal in 1905; 201 Parts of Partitioned Bengal; Partition Border and Muslim and Non-Muslim Majority Areas in 1947; Districts of East Pakistan, 1947-71; Two Wings of Pakistan, 1947-71; Bangladesh Districts, 1971-84; Bangladesh Districts since 1984.

A land of water and silt -- Jungle, fields, cities and states -- A region of multiple frontiers -- The delta as a crossroads -- From the Mughal empire to the British empire -- The British impact -- A closing agrarian frontier -- Colonial conflicts -- Towards partition -- Partition -- The Pakistan experiment -- Pakistan falls apart -- East Pakistani livelihoods -- The roots of aid dependence -- A new elite and cultural renewal -- Armed conflict -- A state is born -- Imagining a new society -- Creating a political system -- Transnational linkages -- Bursting at the seams -- A national culture? -- Conclusion.