The South Asian Pamphlets Collection spans the years 1920-2005, with the bulk of the material dating from the 1950s to the 1990s, and with only a few items from the 1910s-1940s. The publications were received by Duke University's Perkins Library over four decades, roughly from 1960-1990, through the Library of Congress South Asia Cooperative Acquisition Program (SACAP), formerly called the "PL-480 Program," and are arranged according to their country of publication: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. The pamphlets are all published in the English language. The largest group houses publications from India (177 boxes), followed by Pakistan (58 boxes), Bangladesh (15 boxes), and Nepal (8 boxes). For the smallest groupings, the pamphlets are organized alphabetically by title without any further subdivisions. For the larger country series, the pamphlets are arranged by topical headings, in alphabetical order, and within, alphabetically by title. Each country series is followed by a more detailed description of its contents; each topical division is also followed by a description which includes the number of boxes and number of items in that subdivision.
While the majority of the pamphlets were published by organizations and agencies and do not list individual authors' names, there are also pamphlets with individual authors listed. Topical divisions common to the larger country series include but are not limited to Agriculture, Arts, Economic Development, Education, Industry and Commerce, International Relations, Politics and Government, Religion and Philosophy, Rural Development, Tourism, and Women. Many of the publications across the entire collection discuss ethnic and political conflict, as well as the effects of wars, poverty, and mass education, and issues regarding Islam and other religious traditions. Particular countries may have unique topical headings. In the case of India, each major Indian political party has its own subdivision under the larger Political Parties series; there is also a section for biographical works, and one for works on libraries and museums, and a division was also established to house pamphlets related to Kashmir.
For undated pamphlets, every effort was made to establish an approximate year or decade of publication; this is indicated by a question mark following the date. Where there is no information on place of publication, the notation [n.p.] is used. In some cases there is a descriptive note below the entry that adds information about the item such as publication data, commemorative headings, inscriptions, and other contextual information. For more information on each country and its subdivisions, see the listings that follow.
