Landscapes Of Fear: Understanding Impunity In India

Landscapes of Fear tackles a set of intricate questions about the workings of impunity in India. Considering why the world’s largest democracy condones systematic violations of some human rights, and questioning how victims of abuse and survivors of sexual violence end up being denied justice, the contributors seek to understand what those on the margins—those of the wrong sex, wrong identity markers, or wrong political leanings—can tell us about violence by state and non-state actors. 

Bringing together senior academics, civil society leaders, and fresh voices from across the subcontinent, Landscapes of Fear offers analysis—contextual, structural, and gendered—that breaks new ground on the underbelly of “India Shining.”  A vital book for understanding the complexity of a fast-changing, often corrupt, and highly unequal rising superpower, the collection contextualizes hard-hitting cases of human rights violations in contemporary India.

Patrick Hoenig is visiting professor at the Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi.

Navsharan Singh is a senior program specialist with the International Development Research Center’s Asia office.