The Political Uses of Crisis

The Bihar Famine of 1966-1967

Bibliographic Data

ID3613660
AuthorsPaul R Bra, Paul R Brass (corresponding author)
Year1986
Volume45
Issue2
Pages245-267
Publication date1986-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of Asian Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-9118 • E-ISSN: 1752-0401
PublisherDuke University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2307/2055843
OpenAlexW2133033975
LanguageEN
Citations received29
References cited16

In the summer of 1966, Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh provinces in India experienced one of the worst and most widespread droughts and crop failures in the history of the region during the twentieth century. Massive local, national, and international relief efforts were provided to prevent death by starvation on an immense scale. Nevertheless, the seriousness of the situation was only gradually and reluctantly accepted by the agencies, institutions, and governments that were ultimately involved in the relief effort. In order to convey the seriousness of the situation to those in a position to help the people of Bihar, local, state, and national politicians adopted a rhetoric that involved defining the situation as a "crisis" of unprecedented proportions. The Bihar Famine of 1966-1967 illustrates the importance of rhetoric and political definitions in distinguishing crises from "normal" situations and in defining the quantity, timing, and recipients of relief

Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Famine · Order (exchange) · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Position (finance) · Rhetoric · Seriousness · Sociology · State (computer science) · Agricultural Economics and Practices · History · Law · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · South Asian Studies and Conflicts

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