Skip to product information
1 of 1

Gyan Prakash

Emergency Chronicles: Indira Gandhi and Democracy's Turning Point

Emergency Chronicles: Indira Gandhi and Democracy's Turning Point

💎 Earn 80 Points (£0.80) on this item.

Important: Dispatches within 2 to 4 weeks
Regular price £16.18 GBP
Regular price £20.00 GBP Sale price £16.18 GBP
Sale Sold out
Taxes included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

YOU SAVE £3.82

  • Condition: Brand new
  • UK Delivery times: Usually arrives within 2 - 3 working days
  • UK Shipping: Fee starts at £2.39. Subject to product weight & dimension

Bulk ordering. Want 15 or more copies? Get a personalised quote and bigger discounts. Learn more about bulk orders.

  • More about Emergency Chronicles: Indira Gandhi and Democracy's Turning Point

In 1975, Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency in India, suspending constitutional rights and rounding up her political opponents. Emergency Chronicles provides the first comprehensive account of this understudied episode in India's modern history, arguing that it was the product of Indian democracys troubled relationship with popular politics. It reveals how the unfulfilled promise of democratic transformation upset the balance between state power and civil rights and opened the door for caste politics and Hindu nationalism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 456 pages
Publication date: 06 July 2021
Publisher: Princeton University Press


The gripping story of an explosive turning point in the history of modern India

On the night of June 25, 1975, Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency in India, suspending constitutional rights and rounding up her political opponents in midnight raids across the country. In the twenty-one harrowing months that followed, her regime unleashed a brutal campaign of coercion and intimidation, arresting and torturing people by the tens of thousands, razing slums, and imposing compulsory sterilization on the poor.

Emergency Chronicles provides the first comprehensive account of this understudied episode in India's modern history. Gyan Prakash strips away the comfortable myth that the Emergency was an isolated event brought on solely by Gandhi's desire to cling to power, arguing that it was as much the product of Indian democracy's troubled relationship with popular politics.

Drawing on archival records, private papers and letters, published sources, film and literary materials, and interviews with victims and perpetrators, Prakash traces the Emergency's origins to the moment of India's independence in 1947, revealing how the unfulfilled promise of democratic transformation upset the fine balance between state power and civil rights. He vividly depicts the unfolding of a political crisis that culminated in widespread popular unrest, which Gandhi sought to crush by paradoxically using the law to suspend lawful rights. Her failure to preserve the existing political order had lasting and unforeseen repercussions, opening the door for caste politics and Hindu nationalism.

Placing the Emergency within the broader global history of democracy, this gripping book offers invaluable lessons for us today as the world once again confronts the dangers of rising authoritarianism and populism.

Weight: 602g
Dimension: 139 x 217 x 34 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691217369

This item can be found in:

UK and International shipping information

UK Delivery and returns information:

  • Delivery within 2 - 3 days when ordering in the UK.
  • Shipping fee for UK customers from £2.39. Fully tracked shipping service available.
  • Returns policy: Return within 30 days of receipt for full refund.

International deliveries:

Shulph Ink now ships to Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, India, Luxembourg Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Netherlands, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, United States of America.

  • Delivery times: within 5 - 10 days for international orders.
  • Shipping fee: charges vary for overseas orders. Only tracked services are available for most international orders. Some countries have untracked shipping options.
  • Customs charges: If ordering to addresses outside the United Kingdom, you may or may not incur additional customs and duties fees during local delivery.
View full details