Crises of Sovereignty: Reinterpreting 1857 and 1947 in Indian State Formation

Abstract

This paper examines the events of 1857 and 1947 as critical moments in the trajectory of Indian state formation, conceptualizing both as distinct yet interconnected crises of sovereignty. Rather than treating 1857 solely as a “mutiny” or 1947 merely as a moment of decolonization, the study argues that both events constituted structural ruptures that reconfigured authority, legitimacy, and political order. It argues that sovereignty was contested and transferred across colonial and postcolonial contexts, and through an examination of legislative records, administrative archives, and major historiographical interventions, the paper analyzes how these processes were constructed and reconstructed over time. The uprising of 1857 exposed vulnerabilities in the East India Company’s governance structure and precipitated the formal assumption of authority by the British Crown, thereby centralizing imperial sovereignty. Conversely, the transfer of power in 1947 marked the end of colonial rule but simultaneously revealed deep contradictions embedded in late colonial constitutional arrangements, particularly regarding territorial division, communal representation, and administrative continuity. By engaging with perspectives from nationalist, subaltern, and constitutional historiography, the article demonstrates that both 1857 and 1947 should be understood as transformative moments that reshaped institutional frameworks and political imaginaries of the state. Ultimately, the study contends that Indian state formation emerged not as a linear progression but as a layered process shaped by crises, negotiations, and redefinitions of sovereignty.