Postcolonial Penality

What is it about?

This is a study of the transition from colonial rule to independence in India, looking at a few short years either side of 1947. Using a case study of the so-called criminal tribes, it examines how and why such tribes continued to be governed by repressive penal measures of control and coercion even as India as a whole gained freedom and liberty.

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Why is it important?

The whole idea of postcolonial states and the postcolonial condition assumes some kind of transition or rupture from the colonial past. This study illustrates just how difficult that was to achieve. It examines how marginal and socially weak classes in India continued to be ruled by oppressive and coercive measures, raising questions about continuity and change in the everyday lives of postcolonial citizens.