The proposed project will investigate how those responsible for enforcement of law in contemporary India come to inhabit and practice roles of authority, and participate in producing concepts of state and governance. Over twelve months, I will explore how bounds of legitimate authority are defined; how average citizens transform into state officials and locate themselves in relation to the law; and the relationship between public discourse about law enforcement, and the self-perceptions and self-representations of law enforcement officers. The research will analyze police education and training, law enforcement work culture ad organization, and self-perception of officers in the city of Lucknow, in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. I have made many research contacts during exploratory trips to India, in summers 2000 and 2004, and secured affiliation with the Faculty of Law at Lucknow University and the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi. Using anthropological methods of observation and interview, in combination with content analysis of public documents and news media footage, to examine the perspectives and practices of law enforcement personnel, this study will provide critical insight into theories