Aijaz Ahmad is a renowned cultural theorist who has taught in several western and Indian universities. A frequent contributor to Frontline magazine, he currently lives in New Delhi.

After theSecond World War, nationalism emerged as the principle expression ofresistance to Western imperialism in a variety of regions from theIndian subcontinent to Africa, to parts of Latin America and thePacific Rim. With the Bandung Conference and the formation of theNon-Aligned Movement, many of Europe's former colonies banded togetherto form a common bloc, aligned with neither the advanced capitalist First World nor with the socialist Second World.