Gender, Women and the Indian Emergency, 1975-1977

India’s State of Emergency (1975-1977) is one of the most controversial moments in the country’s history since independence. During this infamous 21-month period, Indira Gandhi’s government suspended constitutional rights, postponed elections, censored the press and arrested opposition, as well as instituting aggressive slum clearance and coercive sterilisation campaigns. Over the last 20 years, this period has received increasing scholarly attention. But the role that women played in shaping Em