India’s Himalayan Frontiers: History and Politics

This book looks at the historical and political dynamics of the Sino-Indian border dispute in India’s Himalayan Frontiers.

Going back into Tibetan history, the author examines the making of the McMahon Line at Simla Conference of 1913-14. It also takes a look at some of the neighbouring areas that had interaction with Tibet, as well as the border areas of Assam and Burma, both of which were British Indian provinces. By using new archival materials, this study further goes to consider the events during the years following the defining of the McMahon Line, which, verily, did not have a sound juridical basis even if it has been regarded by scholars as a suitable boundary. It further explores different aspects of the northern frontiers of India and Sino-Indian border dispute and relations.

This volume will interest scholars and researchers of history, political science and area studies, especially those interested in the geopolitics of India, China and the Himalayan region.

V. C. Bhutani (b. 1940; Ph.D., University of Delhi, 1967) retired as Reader in Chinese Political Geography at the University of Delhi in 2005. He is author of The Apotheosis of Imperialism: Indian Land Economy under Curzon (New Delhi, Sterling, 1976) and of some research papers in the areas of Indian history, Tibetan studies, Sino-Indian frontier studies, and international relations published in research journals. His other forthcoming studies are The Simla Conference 1913-14: A Study and Kashmir between Pakistan and India.