Nehru's India : a history in seven myths / Taylor C. Sherman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sherman, Taylor C., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nehru, Jawaharlal, 1889-1964.

Nehru, Jawaharlal.

India--History--1947-.

India.

India--Politics and government--1947-.

India--Social conditions--1947-.

Statesmen--India--Biography.

Statesmen.

Politics and government.

Social conditions.

Genre:

Biographies.

History.

Physical Description:

xviii, 284 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey ; Oxford : Princeton University Press, [2022]

Summary:

"An iconoclastic history of the first two decades after independence in India. Nehru's India brings a provocative but nuanced set of new interpretations to the history of early independent India. Drawing from her extensive research over the past two decades, Taylor Sherman reevaluates the role of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, in shaping the nation. Sherman argues that the ideas, policies, and institutions most strongly associated with Nehru-nonalignment, secularism, socialism, democracy, the strong state, and high modernism-have lost their explanatory power. They have become myths. Sherman examines seminal projects from the time and also introduces readers to little-known personalities and fresh case studies, including India's continued engagement with overseas Indians, the importance of Buddhism in secular India, the transformations in industry and social life brought about by bicycles, a riotous and ultimately doomed attempt to prohibit the consumption of alcohol in Bombay, the early history of election campaign finance, and the first state-sponsored art exhibitions. The author also shines a light on underappreciated individuals, such as Apa Pant, the charismatic diplomat who influenced foreign policy from Kenya to Tibet, and Urmila Chowdhury, the rebellious architect who helped oversee the building of Chandigarh. Tracing and critiquing developments in this formative period in Indian history, Nehru's India offers a fresh and definitive exploration of the nation's early postcolonial era"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

List of illustrations

Preface

chapter 1 The myth of Nehru the architect of independent India

chapter 2 The myth of India's non-aligned foreign policy

chapter 3 The myth of hegemonic secularism

chapter 4 The myth of socialism

chapter 5 The myth of the strong state

chapter 6 The myth of the successful democracy

chapter 7 The myth of high modernism in India

Coda

Acknowledgements

List of abbreviations

Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Sherman, Taylor C. Nehru's India

ISBN:

9780691222585

0691222584

OCLC:

1292972045