Freedom, trauma, continuities : Northern India and independence

An AltaMira Press Book While the momentous acheivement of Indian independence and the simultaneous partitioning of the subcontinent in 1947 have primarily been studied from political perspectives, this path-breaking volume explores neglected aspects of these tremendous upheavals. Freedom, Trauma, Communities concentrates on popular perceptions and subjective, psycholocial experiences that offer new perspectives on those critical events in Indian society. The first three contributors consider various aspects of the appalling massacres which accompanied Partition and Independence. The next three essays discuss the ensuing mass migrations; efforts to resettle the refugees in the Punjab, Bengal, and Sind; and lingering memories of homes abandoned. The subsequent essay considers the integration of the Princely States into the Indian Union. Final contributions document the many continuities which, paradoxically, accompanied such great upheaval.