“Continuity without Cultivation”?: The Student Figure, Legal Education, and Writing Pedagogy in India

Document Type

Research Article

Abstract

This paper reconstructs the historical figure of the student in India through the intertwined trajectories of writing pedagogy and legal education. Moving beyond the socio-political portrayal of students as agents of resistance or nation-building, it examines how the classroom can function as a dynamic site for meaning-making. Drawing on archival materials, including syllabi, composition manuals, and legal reform reports, the paper traces the role of English language education in shaping legal pedagogy from the colonial period to the establishment of contemporary National Law Universities. Situating these developments within broader debates in writing and composition studies, the paper proposes alternative pedagogical approaches—such as prioritising in-class writing, fostering silence, and employing contract grading— to reimagine the student. By emphasising process-oriented learning over external benchmarks, this paper contributes to a historical understanding of education with the student at its centre and argues for the classroom to be understood as a conceptual site of higher education in the country.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.55496/RXCH7684

Publication Date

2024

Journal

Socio-Legal Review

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