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Unsettling Memories: Narratives of the Emergency in Delhi
Unsettling Memories Narratives of the Emergency in Delhi Author:Emma Tarlo This richly detailed ethnographic work tells the story of a period known in India as the Emergency. In 1975 Indira Gandhi announced a draconian campaign to clean up Delhi, reform the bureaucracy, and curb the country's population growth. When these measures produced mass protest, Gandhi suspended civil liberties, censored the press, and ordered ... more »arrests, tortures, and forced sterilization for a period lasting to 1979. Little has been written about the Emergency from the point of view of ordinary people, and politicians have been eager to deny the reality and suppress the memories of those days. This gripping study seeks to recapture through personal narratives the experiences and perceptions of those caught up in the difficult events of the Emergency. Adding to the growing body of literature that seeks to work against areas of collective silence, Unsettling Memories provides extraordinary documentation on state practices in contemporary India by drawing on interviews and little-studied archival material. Emma Tarlo discusses the official historical record left by high-level bureaucrats who had the power to render people homeless, jobless, or infertile. She traces the effects of these policies and their subversion--most poor people could avoid these threats only by the judicious use of money or trickery.« less