This dissertation presents a framework for analyzing postcolonial nationalism by analyzing precolonial state formation processes in the postcolonial Global South. Contrary to the conventional view that modern states emerged as a result of colonial rule, this research posits that state formation processes began before colonial rule, even though many states had not complete their state formation process at the time of colonization.

Next, this dissertation proposes that the European model of state formation, being the most extensively researched, can be used to identify early state formation processes in precolonial states. By applying this model, this dissertation examines precolonial state formation processes and posits that colonialism should be viewed as an exogenous variable that interacted with ongoing state formation processes. This framework is used to identify distinct types of postcolonial states by integrating precolonial histories with the influences of colonial rule. Subsequently, this study reexamines the emergence of nationalism during the precolonial era, proposing distinct types of nationalisms that are likely to manifest in each type of postcolonial state. This reexamination highlights that these trajectories of nationalism can be traced back to precolonial state formation processes.