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

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Migration and Politics

The early 20th-century nationalist discourse in India held the colonial state and the middlemen (maistry) responsible for the exploitation of the migrant labourers. The issue of their miserable condition eventually merged within the nationalist movement. This paper studies the experiences and perspectives of Dalit migrants in Burma and their role in the social and political movements in that period. The paper argues that the caste oppression, enmeshed in the labour exploitation, was the defining factor in their migration overseas. Dalits who migrated to Burma primarily struggled against caste oppression in their immediate socio-economic and spatial context, a fact that was hardly acknowledged in the nationalist discourse. Hence, the Dalit migrants were critiques of the upper-caste nationalist discourse.

Suffrage in Shackles

After 72 years of adopting universal adult franchise in its Constitution, India has remained unperturbed to the cause of voting rights of prisoners. The latest judicial decisions regarding the issue also justify disenfranchisement using the same line of thought as was used in the colonial times. India has progressed enough to now look for alternatives to the present setting so as to enable enfranchisement for Indian prisoners both in principle and practice.

The Global Rise of Authoritarianism

Authoritarianism was the dominant political form in the pre-constitutional, pre-democratic societies present in the form of monarchy and autocracy. Amongst its proponents were Aristotle and Plato making it a prominent part of the foundational political thought. But what makes it persist amidst other political alternatives in the present times? This reading list explores the evolving trends of authoritarianism across the world.

Sociopolitical Reading of a Tragedy in Kerala

Renewing the renaissance project with a socially egalitarian and secularising thrust is an urgent task.

Interrogating the Idea of Democracy in India

Crisis of Liberal Deliberation: Facets of Indian Democracy edited by Manas Ray, New Delhi: Primus Books, 2022; pp xi + 604, `1,995.

State of Democracy in India: Essays on Life and Politics in Contemporary Times edited by Manas Ray, New Delhi: Primus Books, 2022; pp xi + 694, `1,995.

The Politics of Belonging in India

This reading list attempts to explore the new politics of belonging in India and intends to reflect on the present socio-political fractures that consequently arise, and explore alternative ways of looking at belonging.

W(h)ither Karnataka?

Of late Karnataka has been in the news for unhealthy reasons. Controversies relating to the wearing of hijab by students have left a scar on the social landscape. This was followed by protests against the revision of school textbooks. The government did not handle either with skill. The opposition (read the Congress) also has failed to present to the public a vision for the state’s development.

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