Papers first presented at a conference held at the School of Oriental and African Studies in May 1978.

Includes bibliographical references.

Language, religion, and political identity / Malcolm Yapp -- Elite groups, symbol manipulation, and ethnic identity among the Muslims of South Asia / Paul R. Brass -- Islam and Muslim separatism / Francis Robinson -- Language, religion, and political identity : the case of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen in Andhra Pradesh / G. Ram Reddy -- Region and nation : the Telengana movement's dual identity / Dagmar Bernstorff -- Conflicting roles of language and regionalism in an Indian state / R.V.R. Chandrasekhara Rao -- Language, religion, and political identity in Karnataka / James Manor -- Ethnic groups in the politics of Sri Lanka / Urmila Phadnis -- Language, religion, and political economy : the case of Bangladesh / T.V. Sathyamurthy -- The changing position of tribal populations in India / Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf -- Political identity in South Asia / David Taylor.