Nationalism, Internationalism, Cosmopolitanism—and Empire

A study of the intersection of nationalism, internationalism, and cosmopolitanism in twentieth-century South Asia requires attention to how these concepts drew on imperial structures and on the notions of civilization that went with them. Gilmartin’s brief response to Partha Chatterjee’s article on the topic, “Nationalism, Internationalism, and Cosmopolitanism: Some Observations from Modern Indian History,” tracks the importance of imperial concepts of center and periphery in structuring both the nationalist movement in India and the movement for the creation of Pakistan during the interwar years.