ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Political MobilisationSubscribe to Political Mobilisation

The Use and Abuse of Oath-taking

Arguably, taking oath is an ethical virtue and perhaps also a device that, therefore, demands from the oath- taker an intense allegiance and firm commitment to norms and textualised principles that make political practices and the resultant social order decent.

Muslim League in Kerala

The political trajectory of the Indian Union Muslim League in Kerala displays a unique engagement of religion-based political mobilisation of Muslims withsecular–democratic politics in India. In the contemporary context of aggressive Hindutva politics, the Muslim League is faced with the dual challenge of resisting majoritarian communalism while simultaneously countering new mobilisations from within the community that are based on a radical Islamic identity, but deploy explicitly secular discourses. A critical appraisal of this situation requires moving beyond the pre-occupation with the formal aspects of secularisation and instead arrive at more substantive conceptions of “being secular” that embrace deeper commitments to secularism, such as plurality and toleration.

Changing Voting Behaviour in Kerala Elections

In Kerala, a state with its time-tested social and political tradition which seeks to bind all sections of people together, irrespective of religion or caste, the emergence of the National Democratic Alliance as an alternative to the two mainstream political fronts had its repercussions among a section of the minorities. The fluctuation in the voting preferences signals the crisis the Left Democratic Front is facing. Except for the extremely poor, all other socio-economic groups, including Dalits, Other Backward Castes, the lower classes and the younger generation, are highly volatile and are changing their political preferences, depending on the unfolding social reality.

Racism in Germany

The issue of immigration has developed into a conflict-ridden issue of political mobilisation in Germany more so since the 1990s. Juxtaposed between the need for an immigrant workforce and the growing vociferousness of the right extremist parties, the political leadership is today divided on whether to opt for a greater integration of the Turks into society or to give in to more xenophobic and populist rhetoric.

Thinking through Emerging Markets

While political mobilisation involves the championing of narratives to unite groups and individuals in particular ways, markets too use modes of address and rhetoric that may complicate these larger narratives. In their attempts to reach the rural hinterland, businesses seek not merely to establish a brand, but also its significance for consumers. They need then to ask questions like - What kind of political performatives might consumer goods make possible What cultural identities are reinforced in the process of market extension? It is to meet this increasing competition that businesses have also resorted to 'Hindu' symbols as a way to reach new consumers.

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