What is Pakistan? The name refers to a seventy-year-old post-colonial product of the bloodiest partition of territory and population that accompanied the end of British empire in South Asia. But the region of the Indus Valley has a four-thousand-year-old history, and was the site of one of the earliest and greatest riverine civilisations in the world. Although the modern nation of Pakistan as we know it was created as a homeland for the Muslims of British India, it is impossible to understand the complex tapestry of linguistic, ethnic, and cultural identities and tensions of the region without tracing its deep past.

This Very Short Introduction looks at Pakistan as one of the two nation-states of the Indian sub-continent that emerged in 1947. Pippa Virdee reaches into the ancient past to demonstrate the influence of trajectories of human settlement and civilisation on Pakistan's contemporary political arena, and shows how the longer continuities between the land and its peoples are as important as the short-term changes in the political landscape. She considers Pakistan's religion and society, the state and the military, everyday life, popular culture, languages and literature, as well as Pakistan's relationship with the rest of the world. Virdee also looks to the challenges of the 21st century and the future of Pakistan.

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

什么是巴基斯坦？这个名字指的是伴随着大英帝国在南亚的结束而出现的最血腥的领土和人口分割的七十年后的殖民地产物。但印度河流域地区有四千年的历史，是世界上最早和最伟大的河流文明之一的所在地。尽管我们所知的现代国家巴基斯坦是作为英属印度的穆斯林的家园而建立的，但如果不追溯其深厚的历史，就不可能理解该地区复杂的语言、种族和文化特征及紧张关系。

这本《非常简短的介绍》将巴基斯坦视为1947年出现的印度次大陆上的两个民族国家之一。Pippa Virdee深入到古代，展示了人类定居和文明的轨迹对巴基斯坦当代政治舞台的影响，并展示了这片土地及其人民之间的长期连续性是如何与政治景观的短期变化一样重要。她考虑了巴基斯坦的宗教和社会、国家和军队、日常生活、流行文化、语言和文学，以及巴基斯坦与世界其他国家的关系。Virdee还展望了21世纪的挑战和巴基斯坦的未来。

非常简短的介绍。辉煌、犀利、鼓舞人心

关于该系列。牛津大学出版社的《非常简短的介绍》系列包含了几乎所有学科领域的数百种书。这些口袋大小的书籍是快速掌握新学科的完美方式。我们的专家作者将事实、分析、观点、新想法和热情结合起来，使有趣和具有挑战性的主题具有高度可读性。