THE NEW REPUBLIC: Populism, Power and the Trajectories of Indian Democracy

Description

This edited volume interrogates the dynamics of populism in India which is going through an interregnum. It builds the argument that the 2019 general elections are a break in the democratic history of the Indian state. Because of this, for the first time a social movement has managed to capture the state in India. This volume interrogates the nature of how this has come to be with special attention to dynamics of identity, class and power in India’s post-colonial liberal democracy. Through conversations with prominent scholars and activists it builds an intellectual history of how the BJP has come to be in a hegemonic position and explores its relations to the neoliberal economy, party politics and social movements in the previous decades. Using this, it interrogates questions of identity and violence and speculates on the possible future trajectories of Indian democracy.

Shray Mehta is a qualitative sociologist and an ethnographer. He researches democratic politics with a focus on historical and political sociology. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, National University of Singapore.

Ravi Kumar teaches Sociology at the South Asian University. His area of research includes political economy of identity politics, social movements, neoliberal impact on education and processes of knowledge production. He co-edits a book series titles Social Movements, Dissent and Transformative Action (Routledge: Delhi) and Conversations on/for South Asia (Aakar Books: Delhi).

Contents

Grounding the Conversations: The 2019 General Elections and the Future of Indian Democracy by Ravi Kumar and Shray Mehta

Beyond Elections: Class Politics, Nationalism, Neoliberalism and Populisms – Conversation with Achin Vanaik

Authoritarian Populism, Social Movements, and Democracy – Conversation with Alf Gunvald Nilsen

Muslims, Neoliberalism and Contemporary Politics – Conversation with Maidul Islam

Nation, Nationalism and Muslim Politics in Secular India – Conversation with Hilal Ahmad

Capturing State Power: Beyond the Economic Logic – Conversation with Subir Sinha

Caste, Class and the Politics of Social Justice in Contemporary Times – Conversation with Anand Teltumbde

Redefining the Grammar of Dalit Politics: Struggles Around Caste, Class, Communalism and Capitalism – Conversation with Jignesh Mevani

Restructuring Polity as the Only Alternative to Communalisation, Violence and Fear – Conversation with Nandini Sundar