Assembling India's Constitution

This groundbreaking historical work offers a radical reinterpretation of India's constitutional formation by centering the voices and participation of ordinary citizens rather than focusing solely on political elites. The authors meticulously reconstruct how common people across the nation actively engaged in the constitution-making process, fundamentally challenging traditional narratives about how India's foundational document came into being. Through extensive archival research, the book reveals how public participation shaped constitutional debates and outcomes in ways previously overlooked by conventional scholarship.

What makes this study particularly compelling is its methodological innovation in tracing how constitutional awareness spread through society and how citizens claimed ownership of the process. The authors demonstrate that India's constitution was not merely imposed from above but emerged through dynamic interaction between drafters and the public. This people-centered approach to constitutional history will resonate with readers interested in democratic theory, postcolonial studies, and the living nature of constitutional documents. The book ultimately transforms our understanding of how a nation's fundamental law becomes woven into the fabric of its society.