The legal complex in the British post-colony

"What explains divergences in political liberalism in new nations that shared the same colonial heritage? This book assembles exciting original essays on former colonies of the British Empire in South Asia, Africa, and South East Asia that gained independence after World War II. The inter-disciplinary country specialists reveal how inherent contradictions within British colonial rule were resolved after independence in contrasting liberal-legal, despotic, and volatile political orders. Through studies of the longue durée and particular events, this book presents a theory of political liberalism in the post-colony and develops rich hypotheses on the conditions under which the legal complex, civil society, and the state shape alternative post-colonial trajectories around political freedom. This provocative volume presents new pespectives for scholars and students of post-colonialism, political development, and the politics of the legal complex, as well as for policy makers and publics who struggle to construct and defend legal freedoms"--Provided by publisher.