Subjects, Citizens and Law: Colonial and independent India

How, where, and when do subjects and citizens come into being to make demands and reassert themselves in the formation of modern India? This is the key question for the essays in this book. In unique ways, the authors enquire into the formation of subjects and citizens within the frame of law and negotiation for rights, from the perspective of practice. The question is simple in the abstract. Rights are prescribed by law. But when moved into concrete realities, the identity of the subject, the stipulated conditions, the nature of rule, and the polity itself will immediately come under scrutiny. The answers require sensitivity to time and place. The studies here are located across north India, from the northwest to the northeast, from the time from the emerging colonial government, across British imperial rule, to that of the Republic of India. The larger theme and conceptual discussions draw on wide-ranging field and archival research. The essays enquire into questions of land law and rights, court procedure, freedom of speech, sex workers’ union rights, refugee status, and adivasi people and non-state actors.