How India Became Democratic - Citizenship and the Making of the Universal Franchise

Uncovers the greatest experiment in democratic history: the creation of the electoral roll and universal adult franchise in India.

List of contents

Introduction; 1. Designing for democracy: rewriting the bureaucratic colonial imagination; 2. The pursuit of citizenship in the making of the electoral roll: registering partition refugees; 3. The roll as 'serialised epic' and the personalisation of the universal franchise; 4. Disciplining the federal structure; 5. Shaping the constitution from below and the role of the Secretariat; 6. The limits of inclusion; Conclusion: a 17 crore and 220 yard democracy.

About the author

Ornit Shani is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Asian Studies, University of Haifa, Israel.

Summary

Shani explores the greatest experiment in democratic human history through the untold story of the creation of the electoral roll and universal adult franchise in the world's largest democracy: India. This ground-breaking study will be essential reading for all scholars and students of democracy, citizenship, South Asia and legal history.

Product details

• Authors: Ornit Shani, Ornit (University of Haifa Shani, Shani Ornit
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.01.2018
• EAN: 9781107068032
• ISBN: 978-1-107-06803-2
• No. of pages: 294
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; 20th Century, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, India, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Political structures: democracy, Asian History, HISTORY / Asia / South / General, Political structures / systems: democracy