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The book provides insight into the changing nature of Muslim politics and the ideas of citizenship in independent India. It studies the electoral mobilization of minority groups across North India, particularly in Uttar Pradesh where Muslims have been demographically dominant in various constituencies. The volume discusses themes such as the making and unmaking of the ‘Congress heartland'and the threat of revival of ‘Muslim communalism', alongside issues of representation, property, language politics, rehabilitation and citizenship, politics of Waqf, personal law and Hindu counter-mobilization. The author utilizes previously unused government and institutional files, private archives, interviews and oral resources to address questions central to Indian politics and society. An important intervention, this book will be useful for scholars and researchers of politics, Indian history, minority studies, law, political studies, nationalism, electoral politics, partition studies, political sociology, sociology and South Asian Studies.

This book explores the scope and extent of the growing Chinese influence in India's neighbourhood and its impact on India as well as on Asian power politics.Through theoretical narratives and detailed case studies, it examines Chinese bilateral relationships in the Indian neighbourhood and looks at the extent and significance of Chinese influence through the lens of strategic, economic and infrastructural arrangements and Chinese interventions in South, Southeast, and Central Asia. The book takes into account regional voices and domestic political compulsions in understanding what they make of the Chinese narrative and examines how and whether the narrative has changed in recent years through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as an instrument of Chinese public diplomacy. The volume also discusses how domestic narratives and compulsions in the Indian neighbourhood remain significant and how these, in turn, would impact the trajectory of Chinese public diplomacy. Intertwined through all these themes is a focus on the extent to which these could become potential flashpoints for India.This book will be a useful resource for academics and researchers working on Asian geopolitics and geo-economics, Chinese foreign policy, Chinese politics, international relations of Asia, Asian dynamics and Asian studies.

This book explores realist theories—also called power politics approaches, formulations of systems theories, and game theory in International Relations (IR). The first section of the book focuses on theories of Early Classical Realism—Thucydides, Machiavelli, and Hobbes, and two Asian exponents—Kautilya and Han Fei Tzu. It covers the rise and fall of different schools of imperial geopolitics including those developed during the Cold-War and postmodern periods. It also discusses theories proposed by three stalwarts of Neoclassical Realism— Niebuhr, Carr, and Morgenthau; the Neorealism of Waltz; Strategic Realism of Schelling; and Offensive Realism of Mearsheimer. The book also examines theoretic formulations of Kaplan, Modelski, Rosecrance, McClelland, Holsti, and Singer, as well as game theory and its relevance and application in international relations. It explores diverse variants of theories of power in international relations through a critical readings of texts and IR literature. This book will be of interest to researchers and students of political science, international relations, history and law.

The book examines contemporary globalisation, which signifies a growing interconnectedness between people and societies across the world through increasing flows of people, goods, services, finance, and ideas across the borders. The concept of globalisation and its meaning is discussed through insights from scholars such as David Held, Anthony Giddens, David Harvey, Arjun Appadurai, Ulrich Beck, Manuel Castells, Saskia Sassen, and many other scholars to explain divergent perspectives of globalisation. The book also studies threats like nuclear weapons proliferation, global terrorism, environmental security issues, global justice, poverty, migration, and global shifts. It aims to generate readers'interest in understanding globalisation and analysing the changing dynamics of world politics by studying it from diverse viewpoints. The emergence of COVID-19 and resurgence of great power politics has given rise to the debate of de-globalisation and return of a new kind of ‘cold war'. In this context, this volume will also help readers to understand globalisation in the present changing world order. The book will be useful to the students of political science, international relations, and other interdisciplinary social sciences subjects like political economy and global/international politics.

This book explores Tagore's socio-political ideas through his novels, short stories, and essays. It looks at Tagore beyond his literary achievements and examines his notions of friendship, religion, nationalism, civilization, and knowledge. It highlights his uniquely textured and innovatively argued views on critical aspects of humanity in the tumultuous phase of Indian nationalist campaign that also witnessed a kaleidoscope of myriad ideological voices, besides the hegemonic mainstream nationalist campaign, led by Gandhi. It captures the bard's creative ideational priorities and his attempts to radically transform the prevalent socio-economic and politico-cultural environment.The volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of history, politics, literature, and South Asian studies.

This book studies how marginality impacts the everyday lives of Indian Muslims. It challenges the prevailing myths and stereotypes through which Indian Muslims have come to be seen in the popular imagination. The volume engages with questions of citizenship, collective violence, and issues of civil and criminal jurisprudence. It explores the linkages between development, marginality, and citizenship – the three critical issues for modern democracies today. Going beyond the singular narrative of a community on a continuous slide, the chapters in this volume present diversities of the Muslim experience of exclusion and participation. It discusses themes such as violence and marginality among minorities; Indian Muslims and the ghettoized economy; employment aspirations of low-income Muslim men; intergenerational social mobility of Muslims; the nature of the middle class; and the question of Islam, development, and globalization to showcase the living conditions of Muslims in India.Part of the Religion and Citizenship series, this timely volume will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of political studies, sociology, political sociology, minority studies, public policy, religion, citizenship studies, diversity and inclusion studies, and social anthropology.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of caste in contemporary India. With contributions from scholars like Valerian Rodrigues, B.B. Mohanty, Surinder Jodhka, and Anand Teltumbde, it discusses wide-ranging themes like the trajectory of caste in post-independence India; Dalits and cultural identity; the paradox of being a Dalit woman; caste violence and social mobility; Ambedkar's quest for the right of social equality; social security for the inclusive development of Dalits; discrimination and exclusion of Dalits in education; and Dalit merit and institutional injustice, and presents an overview of the struggles for distributive justice in India.This volume will be of importance to scholars and researchers of Dalit studies, social justice, exclusion studies, caste studies, affirmative action, political studies, sociology, social anthropology, and South Asian politics.

This book studies India's historical, socio-cultural, and trade linkages with Inner Asia. Inner Asia includes the landlocked regions within East Asia and North Asia that are part of today's Western China, Mongolia, the Russian Far East, and Siberia. The book examines issues of geopolitics, geoeconomics, climate change and regional cooperation and discusses the importance of the fabled Silk Road for the countries of Inner Asia. It also analyses the impact India has wielded upon the region through its cultural traits and how Buddhism has remained a binding force between the people of the two regions.Lucid and topical, this book will be useful for scholars and researchers of Asian studies, Central Asian studies, area studies, geopolitics, international trade, international relations, defence and strategic studies, diplomacy and foreign policy, and political studies. It will also be of interest to policymakers, bureaucrats, diplomats and think tanks.

This book provides an introduction to positivist-pluralist theories of international relations (IR) which emerged during the early-and mid-1950s along with Marxist political economic and non-Marxist economic theories of IR.Positivist and Political-Economic Theories of International Relations is an in-depth critical study of texts and literature which highlight IR's methodological pluralism even after it gained maturity. It examines how pluralist political status quo and radical economic criticism coexist in discrete areas of the discipline. Insights are provided into key positivist liberal-pluralist theories, namely decision-making approaches, and theories of integration, regionalism, interdependence, and regime. It discusses the four political economic and critical theories of Marxism, dependency, world systems, and international political economy.The book, as an advanced supplementary reader, will be of great interest to researchers and students of international relations, history, law, and the multidisciplinary social scientific field of political economy.

This book examines the Union-State and inter-State relations concerning water issues in India. It analyses the federal structure in India and looks at its effectiveness in addressing the inter-state river water disputes in the country through three cases: the Cauvery, Krishna and Mahadayi Rivers water dispute. It probes into the physical, political, legal and constitutional measures taken by the Union government and the states to deal with the inter-State and Union-State tussles over inter-State river waters. The author studies the debate over centralisation and decentralisation of water resources, as well as the inter-state river water disputes that have aroused feelings of sub-nationalism in many regions of India. Finally, this book also examines socio-political tensions over multipurpose water projects and other supply-side infrastructures, and their efficacy in addressing India's increasing water problems.This book will interest researchers and students of Environmental Politics, Political Science, Public Policy, Environmental Geography, Indian Politics, South Asian Studies, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, River Management, and Resource politics.

This book critically analyzes the global hegemony of the United States – a hegemony whose innovative aspect consists in articulating postcoloniality to imperial control – in relation to knowledge and knowledge production.Through targeted case studies on the historical relationship between regional areas and the United States, the authors explore possibilities and obstacles to epistemic decolonization. By highlighting the connection between the control of work and the control of communication that has been at the core of the colonial regimes of accumulation (‘classic colonialism'), they present an entirely new form of disciplinary practice, not based on the equation of evolution and knowledge. An extensive introduction outlines the historical genealogy of Pax Americana epistemic hegemony, while individual chapters examine the implications for different regions of the world and different domains of activity, including visual culture, economy, migration, the arts, and translation.This interdisciplinary collection will appeal to students and scholars in many fields, including Asian studies, American studies, postcolonialism, and political theory.

Routledge Readings on Security and Governance in Northeastern India: Resource Conflicts, Militarisation and Development Challenges presents some of the finest essays on a region that stretches across the Northeastern Himalaya, eight Indian States and many tribal and non-tribal peoples. With a lucid Introduction, this and its companion volume, Routledge Readings on Colonial to Contemporary Northeastern India offer a compelling look into the society, polity, contemporary security and developmental issues in northeast India. It covers several critical themes and unravels complexities fraught by the unique biogeography and socio-political history of the region. The fifteen chapters in this multidisciplinary volume, divided into three sections, examine land laws, conflict and resource management and local governance. It discusses the political interplay of ethnicities and resource appropriation in a modernizing, globalizing economy as well as instances of conflicts and violence in highly militarized spaces in the region. It offers an engaged and insightful look into the rural and urban human development contexts in the region from authors who have contributed significantly to the academic and/or policy discourse on the subject.This book will serve as essential reading for students, scholars, policymakers, practitioners of South Asian studies, Northeast India studies, history, development studies, labour studies, sociology, public administration, environmental studies, law and human rights, regional literature, cultural studies, geography, and economics.

This book explores the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic is poised to be a permanent fixture in the modern world which in contemporary times will be thought of in terms of before and after the pandemic. It looks at how the pandemic has brought to the fore the question of the appropriate ethics, politics, and spirituality and highlights the present condition of humanity and the need to rethink alternative planetary futures. It argues that the pandemic has existential and epistemic implications for human life on planet Earth, and a post–COVID-19 future requires a fundamental transformation of the present economic, political, and social conditions.Drawing on empirical case studies on the COVID-19 pandemic from Africa and beyond, contributions in this book challenge the reader to rethink alternative planetary futures. It will be a useful resource for students, scholars, and researchers of African studies, citizenship studies, global development, global politics, human geography, migration studies, development studies, international studies, international relations, and political science.

This handbook presents an authoritative overview of South Asia through the lens of geopolitics, political dynamics, economics, human security, and sustainable development. It brings together key insights from various disciplines to provide an in-depth understanding of the genesis, course, and future potential of South Asia as a region.The handbook: Explores the post-colonial political landscape of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan and analyses the challenges to political stability and governance in South Asia Studies the opportunities and challenges produced by globalization and recommends solutions towards greater connectivity and trade in South Asia Delves into the issues of climate change, water and land resource dependency, and energy security and singles out policy challenges as well as positive actions to promote sustainable development and implement the blue economy Discusses the political dynamics of regional cooperation between countries and the role of China in South Asian regional affairs An invaluable addition to the study of South Asia, this volume will be an indispensable resource for scholars, teachers and researchers of political science, international relations, South Asia studies, South Asian politics, history, defence and strategic studies, political economy, developmental studies, public policy and sustainability studies.

This book analyses the underlying communication strategies and approaches of grassroots water management practices in India through a case study-based ethnographic approach.Drawing from fieldwork experiences, this volume provides a detailed overview of Parmarth, a not-for-profit NGO, which is the case study for this research. It presents an in-depth theoretically informed analysis of data collected through multiple methods, which includes key informant interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation, and document reviews, among other approaches.The book examines Parmarth's strategies and processes to mobilise women as important stakeholders in the region's water conservation initiatives. It discusses communicative actions, tactics and campaigns in water interventions and the role of various stakeholders ranging from local community members to civil society.Accessibly written, this volume is a must-read for scholars and researchers of media and communication studies, environmental communication, ecology studies, development studies, public policy, sustainable development, water management, sociology, and political science.

This book explores the forms, patterns, and trends in political communication in India in the twenty-first century. It underlies the influence of context in political messaging laying bare its complex, overlapping, and multidimensional structures.The volume: Examines how political decision-making is shaped by media — through political speeches, community opinion leaders, and formal and informal public conversations. Explores a range of political communication channels— from community radio to social media. Presents an overview of the problems associated with message designing and message dissemination through communication channels in a political setting. Highlights how political communication impacts critical aspects of democracy and governance and goes beyond mere rhetoric. A comprehensive work on the production, diffusion, transmission, and impact of information in a political environment, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of politics, governance, democracy, media and communication studies, journalism, cultural studies, and South Asian studies.

This book studies the intersection of performance and nationalism in South Asia.It traces the emergence of the culture of nationalism from the late nineteenth century through to contemporary times. Drawing on various theatrical performance texts, it looks at the ways in which performative narratives have reflected the national narrative and analyses the role performance has played in engendering nationhood. The volume discusses themes such as political martyrdom as performative nationalism, the revitalisation of nationalism through new media, the sanitisation of physical gestures in dance, the performance of nationhood through violence in Tajiki films, as well as K-Pop and the new northeastern identity in India.A unique contribution to the study of nationalism, this book will be useful for scholars and researchers of history, theatre and performance studies, cultural studies, postcolonial studies, modern India, Asian studies, political studies, social anthropology and sociology.

The Covid-19 pandemic brought about significant changes in the world order. It not only reshaped the global geopolitical architecture but also created newer challenges and opportunities for international trade and businesses. This book deliberates on these new global realities through a multidisciplinary perspective. It delves into various key issues pertaining to finance, infrastructure, policy, geostrategy, and entrepreneurship in the Indian context. The volume discusses themes such as geostrategic shifts and their impact on the Indo-Pacific region, the effects of Covid-19 on international and economic security, India-China bilateral ties, FDI spill over on domestic firms, entrepreneurship education in India, and the Thai Canal project.Rich in insights on various geo-economic perspectives that continue to shape the global business environment, the book will be useful for students and scholars of sociology, business management, business economics, international trade, geopolitics, international relations, political sociology, and political studies. It will serve as a useful reference for academics, researchers, think tanks, industry professionals, and policymakers.

This book revolves around the altering security roles of three pivotal powers – the US, China, and India. Each of these actors has experienced incremental changes in their external roles and behaviour over the last two decades, which are determined by the range of domestic and international factors. As each country works towards performing its revised security roles, the policymakers are subject to dilemmas and challenges that impact policy implementation and conduct. Using the framework of role theory, the book analyses the role evolution of these countries and elucidates its link with their security policies in the Indo-Pacific and on the global stage. In the process, it also examines the systemic and sub-systemic factors that determine the foreign and security behaviour of these critical Indo-Pacific countries.Accessibly written, this volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of international relations, security and intelligence studies, political science, and foreign policy. It will also be of great interest to policymakers, career bureaucrats, security and intelligence practitioners, and professionals working with think tanks and embassies.

This book studies India's foreign policy through the lens of Kautilya's Arthashastra, an ancient Indian treatise on state and statecraft. It assesses the extent of influence of the foundational elements/core beliefs extrapolated from the Arthashastra on the nation's international behaviour to understand the grand strategic preferences of independent India. The volume examines the basic realist and cultural underpinnings of statecraft such as Yogakshema (Political End Goal), Saptanga (Seven Elements of State), Sadgunyas (Six Measures of Foreign Policy), Rajdharma (Duty of a King), Rajamandala (Circle of kings), and Dharma (Order), mooted in the Arthashastra which have withstood the test of time and space. It evaluates the continuity of strategic cultural traits under the themes of nonalignment, bilateral relations with China and Pakistan, and nuclear policy.An important intervention in the study of India's foreign policy, the book will be useful for scholars and researchers of foreign policy, defence policy, international relations, defence and strategic studies, political science, Indian political thought, political philosophy, classical literature, and South Asian studies.

This book explores the challenges, opportunities, and trends impacting the working of federations in South Asia and Europe. It deliberates on the changing socio-economic realities, challenges facing the existing structures of governance, degrees of consociationalism, and the growing aspirations of people in South Asia and Europe.Through case studies from Greece, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, France, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan, and India, the volume focuses on critical issues relating to cooperative federalism – its complexities, institutional dilemmas, and trends in South Asia and Europe. It discusses a variety of themes relevant to Cooperative Federalism including federal-state relations; cooperative governance; constitution; multiculturalism, fiscal relations, democratization, devolution of powers, consociationalism, and global citizenship in South Asia and Europe. The book further emphasizes the need to strike a balance between the federal government and the constituent units in these two regions.Topical and lucid, this book will be of interest to teachers, scholars, and researchers of political science, comparative government and politics, federalism, South Asian politics, European politics, governance studies, and political studies.

This book is a comprehensive introduction to the theories and recent debates on international political economy (IPE). It illustrates the theoretical ideas of the discipline and provides an in-depth understanding of regional and global political economy.The book focusses on the functioning of states and the economy within the perspective of world politics. It explores the theories realism, liberalism, liberal interdependence, hegemonic stability and dependency vis-à-vis the contemporary global economic and political scenario. It provides a historical overview of the developments in the field and study of IPE, institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organization; the effects of globalization; the movement of capital; and the contested relationship between human development and democracy. The book examines the effects of neoliberal policies on the functioning of states and highlights the challenges and dilemmas of prioritizing development especially for developing countries. The author also looks at regional formations like the EU, NAFTA, ASEAN, SAARC, APEC and BRICS and their contributions to political and economic cooperation and trade.The book will be useful to the students, researchers and faculty working in the fields of political economy, international relations, economics, political science and development studies.

This book highlights the links between politics and governance and the arts. The essays in the volume show how literature and music have challenged those in power risking political censure. In addition, they also try to delineate how patronage has been used for propaganda, or to stir up national fervour. They focus on the tension and symbiosis between the politician and the artist foregrounding how they have always tried to influence, challenge, and, in some cases, undermine one another.This volume will serve as an indispensable source for researchers and academics in political science, the humanities and performing arts.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, known as Bangabandhu by his followers/countrymen, is the most prominent political figure in the emergence of Bangladesh. Bangabandhu transcended his contemporaries and even his political mentors considering the impact he had on the creation of the new nation-state. This book presents a comprehensive overview of the leadership and legacy of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib in the framing of modern Bangladesh. It discusses themes like the formation of Bangladesh; the Bengali nationalist movement; Bangabandhu and his political socialization; Bangabandhu's political and administrative philosophy and his economic and developmental thoughts. Topical and lucid, this book is a must-read for scholars and researchers of Political Science, South Asian Politics, South Asian History, Political Leadership, Political Sociology and also for the Bangladeshi diaspora.

This volume offers a comprehensive overview of the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh. It analyses the socio-cultural and humanitarian challenges of the crisis, along with the discourses that have developed on this issue via the local and international media and literature. The volume also suggests ways to build sustainable solutions for the Rohingya refugees.It discusses wide-ranging issues including a historical overview of the Rohingyas; the Rakhine State of Myanmar and the issue of religious toleration; the struggle for existence in Malaysia and Thailand; vulnerable Rohingya in Bangladesh; and stratified lives in Bangladeshi camps. It also sheds light on social insecurity among Rohingya adolescent girls; understanding gender-based violence in camps; the portrayal of the crisis in Chinese and Indian newspapers; and Bangladesh's policy in addressing the Rohingya crisis and repatriation.This book will be useful for scholars and researchers of sociology, social anthropology, refugee studies, peace and conflict studies, international relations, human rights, political studies, gender studies, and South Asian studies.

This book critically studies descriptive, normative and ethical aspects of violence to understand the Maoist conflict in India. It studies important but often overlooked issues such as reasons for youth participation in insurgency, the reality and the rhetoric of the urban Maoism debate, rights and entitlements of the local communities and their interactions with the Maoist conflict, and issues of governance and development.The volume: examines the origins of Maoist insurgency, why it continues, the factions, counterinsurgency, impact of violence on education and other development indicators investigates how a conflict with an alternative idea of democracy violently clashes with an established democratic Indian state deals with the critical aspects of the Maoist movement in India and the status of Urban Maoism or Urban Naxal evaluates state responses to the movement and its impact on the economic status of affected communities discusses the gender dimension of armed conflict through a feminist lens and explores how women navigate through varied socio-cultural and gender norms while participating in the conflict Studying a wide range of critical issues, this volume will be of interest particularly to scholars of political science, development studies, public administration, security studies, peace and conflict studies and human rights.

This handbook initiates fresh debates on poverty and its impact in a constantly changing Global South society. It studies the concept, theories, and causes of poverty, as well as the design and delivery of social welfare policies related to specific groups, such as women, children, and the elderly. The chapters are theoretical, evidence-based, and empirical in nature and bring together a holistic understanding of social problems and issues in developing countries. The volume brings together researchers, educators, and practitioners from across the globe to develop a hands-on reference work that will be requisite for several social science disciplines concerned with poverty and the welfare of poor people.The first of its kind, the handbook will be indispensable for scholars and researchers of development studies, economics, social work, political studies, poverty studies, population and demographic studies, sociology, social anthropology, public policy, and political economy, especially those concerned with the Global South.

This book explores the relationship between Confucianism and citizenship and the rise of Confucian citizens in contemporary China.Combining theoretical and empirical approaches to the topic, the book constructs new frameworks to examine the nuances and complexities of Confucianism and citizenship, exploring the process of citizen-making through Confucian education. By re-evaluating the concept of citizenship as a Western construct and therefore challenging the popular characterization of Confucianism and citizenship as incompatible, this book posits that a new type of citizen, the Confucian citizen, is on the rise in 21st-century China.The book's clear, accessible style makes it essential reading for students and scholars interested in citizenship, Confucianism and Chinese studies, and those with an interest in religion and philosophy more generally.

How rich should the 1% be? And, most importantly, when does the distance in economic resources between the richest citizens and ‘us', the average citizenry, become a concern for justice?This volume explores how excessive economic inequality gives the best-off considerably more political influence than average citizens, thereby violating political equality. It argues that the gap between the best-off and the worst-off should not be reduced because it is good, but rather as an inescapable instrument to protect citizens from the risk of material domination. For this reason, it defends the ‘principle of proportionality': economic inequality should not exceed a certain range or proportion to enable both the best-off and the worst-off to be co-authors of the legal, political, and socioeconomic rules that govern the ‘social'relations in which they are involved.Further, the book discusses material domination and explains how money influences politics and what are the remedies for this phenomenon; how social justice should face and harmonise power, poverty, efficiency, individual merit, and economic liberties; and, most importantly, how to determine income and wealth limit ratios in a liberal democracy.A thoughtful investigation on the interdependencies of money and justice and their influence our socio-political systems, this volume will be of great interest to students and researchers of political theory, political philosophy, economics and development, economics theory and philosophy, and social policy.

Caste in India, despite its historical resilience, has been undergoing transformation since independence. If caste as a system of rigid stratification has been on the decline, castes as autonomous interest-serving groups have been on ascendance. This book critically engages with the changing notions of caste and its intersection with public policy in India. It discusses key issues such as social security, internal reservation, the idea of Most Backward Classes, caste issues among non-Hindu religious communities, caste in census, caste in market, and service castes and urban planning. Drawing on in-depth case studies from states including Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and West Bengal, the volume explores the cyclical process of how caste drives policies, and how policies in turn shape the reality of caste in India. It looks at the impact of factors like protective discrimination, adult franchise and democratic decentralisation, horizontal and vertical mobilisation, land reforms, and religious conversion on social mobility, and traditional hierarchy in India.Empirically rich and analytically rigorous, this book will be an excellent reference for scholars and researchers of public policy, public administration, sociology, exclusion studies, social work, law, history, economics, political science, development studies, social anthropology, and political sociology. It will also be of interest to public policy and development practitioners.

This book presents a systematic analysis of the rise and decline of the Indian National Congress since 1980s, using the frame dominance to hibernation. The Indian National Congress (INC or Congress Party) originated in the national movement for India's freedom and has since been the centrepiece of postindependence multi-party system for nearly four decades. However, the Congress has been experiencing a phase of serious decline since the 2014 and 2019 general elections.Analysing years of political history and contemporary developments, this volume brings to the fore important issues and key themes such as Evolution of the party system in India, the contemporary dynamics and movements Indian National Congress under Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi Ideological and policy reorientation of the party in the 1990s under P.V. Narasimha Rao Revival of mass membership and organizational elections in the party Indian National Congress in the 2000s, under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi The 2019 debacle and change in the leadership A comprehensive work on the history of the Congress Party in India, this volume will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of political science, party politics, Indian politics, sociology, modern Indian history, political sociology, public administration, public policy, South Asian studies, and governance studies.

This book is an unconventional articulation of the political thinking in India in a refreshingly creative manner in more than one way. Empirically, the book becomes innovative by providing an analytically more grasping contextual interpretation of Indian political thought that evolved during the nationalist struggle against colonialism. Insightfully, it attempts to unearth the hitherto unexplored yet vital subaltern strands of political thinking in India as manifested through the mode of numerous significant socio-economic movements operating side by side and sometimes as part of the mainstream nationalist movement. This book articulates the main currents of Indian political thought by locating the text and themes of the thinkers within the socio-economic and politico-cultural contexts in which such ideas were conceptualised and articulated.The book also tries to analytically grasp the influences of the various British constitutional devices that appeared as the responses of the colonial government to redress the genuine socio-economic grievances of the various sections of Indian society. The book breaks new ground in not only articulating the main currents of Indian political thought in an analytically more sound approach of context-driven discussion but also provokes new research in the field by charting a new course in grasping and articulating the political thought in India.This volume will be useful to the students, researchers and faculty working in the fields of political science, political sociology, political economy and post-colonial contemporary Indian politics in particular. It will also be an invaluable and interesting reading for those interested in South Asian studies.

This book discusses postpositivist theories foregrounding postpositivism against the reigning realist and positivist–pluralist orthodoxies.The book explicates seven theories, not as disparate endeavours but as developments linked by a common thread that seeks to enunciate globalist emancipatory goals for the theoretical field and the world that these theories seek to change. It focuses on the following themes: feminism, environmentalism or green theory, the English School, critical theory, constructivism, postmodernism, and postcolonialism. Additionally, a separate chapter on globalization shows that while mainstream (neo)realist international relations theories respond hostilely to globalization and liberal-pluralist theories react benignly to it, postpositivist theories positively welcome it. The book offers a competent meta-theoretical gridwork, showing on which side of the opposing disciplinary positions in the fourth debate each of the seven theories are located. It is a comprehensive guide to the postpositivist restructuring of the discipline of international relations.This book will be of interest to researchers and students of political science, international relations, history, humanities, and literature.

This volume examines how protest movement counter-conducts the ways in which the citizens have been governed. It studies the rationale, forms, technologies, techniques, practices, and impact of two protest movements in Northeast India: the tribal movement led by the Joint Action Committee Against Anti-Tribal Bills (hereafter JACAATB) in Manipur, and the anti-corruption movement led by the Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) in Nagaland.The study is an ethnographic enquiry into three counter-conduct approaches: First, the attempt at disciplining the local state government through the adoption and deployment of certain technologies of citizenship, making individuals politically active and capable of self-governance Second, the desire for truth through the usage of Right to Information Act and the judicial inquiry against the misconducts of the state governments Third, counter-conduct activities through techniques of critique and self-examination to not only resist or evade the state, but also usher in new subjectivities and forms of governance An in-depth look at citizenship and state in contemporary Northeast India, this volume will be of interest to scholars and students of political science, governance, public policy, Northeast Studies, and South Asia studies.

The dynamics of Indian politics is reflected in the flexible and fluctuating relations between the centre and the states as well as in the equations within the multiparty political system. This book is one of the first to explore the participation of women in state politics in India and how women navigate the dynamic spaces and hierarchies of the Indian political system.With the help of in-depth studies of 16 states in India, it analyses the gender profile of political parties and legislative bodies in these states; the question of women's representation which is miniscule in legislative assemblies and women voters and their voting choices. It also explores the roadblocks and barriers they face, along with a study of women's participation in informal politics. The chapters in this book underline the need for women's active participation both inside and outside the party system to make democracy more robust and meaningful.Topical, rich in empirical data, this book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of Indian politics, gender studies, political science, sociology, public administration, and South Asia studies.

This book studies national security strategies introduced by the Koizumi administration (2001–2006) and the second Abe administration (2012–2020). Drawing on the common themes of ‘normalization', constitutional revision, in particular Article 9, and the right of collective self-defence, the volume examines through the theory of neoclassical realism how and why the national security initiatives of the two administrations are different in their extent of normalization of Japan. It shows how the policies were influenced by the respective Prime Ministers who responded to the international environment surrounding Japan during their tenure and were also shaped by internal concerns.The volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of Asian studies, politics and international relations.

This book presents a comprehensive overview of modern conceptualizations of justice in India. It analyses how these concepts relate to traditional theories of justice – in Marx, Ambedkar, Gandhi and Rawls as well as social realities in India. The book critically analyses theories of justice in India from a theoretical and comparative framework. It brings together contributions by well-known scholars to explore a range of questions and dilemmas around justice which have been brought about by a widening disparity between the powerful and the marginalized. The volume engages with the inadequacies of tautological theories of justice and fairness which fall short of adequately articulating the institutionalized forms of injustices and inequality facing citizens in modern society. It also explores exceptions and deviations from transcendental and universalist assumptions of contemporary theories of justice and studies movements and expressions of dissent and alternative structures and paradigms of conceptualizing justice. This book will be useful for scholars and researchers of political theory, political sociology, political studies, sociology, social theory, post-colonial theory and exclusion studies.

This book of selected research papers, originally presented at the'Symposium of Fragile Lands of Latin America—The Search for Sustainable Uses,'presents some fresh evidence of the viability of a few'non-conventional'strategies for natural resource development and management.

This book systematically analyses state responses towards Maoism in India and studies the role of state policies in prolonging conflict. It looks at how the structural maladies that once gave rise to conflict have now found a place in the government responses meant to address it. The book studies the socio-political conditions of Adivasis and lower caste groups that make up large sections of the cadre and highlights the exclusionary nature of the Indian political landscape. It discusses various themes such as state legitimacy, the political landscape through exclusion, the agency of Maoist foot soldiers, limitations of government welfare responses, and the idea of the marginalised in India.Rich in empirical data, the book will be useful for scholars and researchers of development studies, political studies, political sociology, minority studies, exclusion studies, sociology and social anthropology. It will also be of interest to policy-makers.

This volume brings together academics, activists, social work practitioners, poets, and artists from different parts of the world during the Covid-19 pandemic. It sheds light on how the pandemic has exposed the inequities in society and is shaping social institutions, affecting human relationships, and creating new norms with each passing day.It examines how people from diverse societies and fields of work have come to conceptualise and imagine a new world order based on the principles of social and ecological justice, care, and human dignity. It prioritises the realm of imagination, creativity, and affect in understanding social formations and in shaping societies beyond the positivist approaches. Documenting the myriad experiences and responses to the pandemic, the volume foregrounds varied processes of making meaning; understanding impulses, resistances, and coping mechanisms; and building solidarities. Further, it also acts as a tool of memory for future generations, and articulations- artistic, political, socio-cultural, scientific- of hope and perseverance. This spectrum of expressions intends to value visceral experiences, build solidarities, and find solace in art.Its uniqueness lies in the way it brings together a much-needed interface between science, social sciences, and humanities. A compelling account on our contemporary lives, the volume will be of great interest to scholars of sociology and social anthropology, politics, art and aesthetics, psychology, social work, literature, health, and medical sciences.

Hind Swaraj by Mahatma Gandhi is arguably the greatest text to have emerged from the anti-colonial movement in India and the first to seriously challenge the cultural and civilizational premises of the colonizers'mentality. It is also the first text in India that falls within the broad tradition of modern political philosophy, advancing a complex cluster of theses with conceptual sensitivity, analytical precision, and sustained argument.This book critically engages with Hind Swaraj and explores the fascinating and subtle dialogue set up by Gandhi between the characters of the reader and the editor. With essays from leading contemporary thinkers on Gandhi, the volume looks at themes such as Gandhi on epistemic servitude, decolonization, and intercultural translation; his complex critique of modern civilization; his views on the empire, democracy, citizenship, and violence; the normative structure of Gandhian thought; Gandhi and the political praxis of educational reconstruction; and how to read this text. An important intervention in Gandhian studies, this book will be useful for scholars and researchers of peace studies, political philosophy, Indian philosophy, Indian political thought, political sociology, and South Asian studies.

Mumbai / Bombay is a quintessential urban expression which represents the questions and puzzles related to Indian urbanity. This book traces the various ways through which majoritarianism and neoliberal capitalist accumulation has reorganised Bombay or Mumbai in India.The book assesses Mumbai's present trajectories and processes as being embedded in its recent past. It looks at these changes by exploring work and labour; health and education; spatial planning and infrastructural development; politics and identity; and shows how financialisation, land speculation, deregulation, and informality have impacted the city's culture and everyday living. The contributors to this volume analyse the consequences of these changes for women and men across ages, as they live their material and cultural lives; evaluate the role of the changing nature of work, urban infrastructure, and planning; determine its outcome for public health and education; and take a measure of its manifestation in the field of arts and culture. The volume explores the processes that reorient these changes, the socio-spatial and political implications of these on the inhabitants of the city, and the resistance and response to marginalisation.This interdisciplinary volume will interest students and researchers of economics, sociology, anthropology, political science, public policy, development studies, and urban studies. It will also be useful to urban practitioners, planners, bureaucrats, activists, and general readers.

The global energy scenario has transformed in the past 20 years. Oil demand, earlier driven by the West, is now shifting to the East, more specifically to Asia. New oil supplies from North America have challenged the hegemony of the traditional oil exporters from West Asia and Africa. India, once a marginal player in the world oil market, is now a valued customer providing demand security for oil exporters. This book systematically examines India's oil and gas trade, which makes it the world's third largest importer of oil after China and the US. It explores the changing patterns of oil demand and supply, and the growing market for natural gas, renewable energy, biofuel, and alternative sources of energy. Further, the volume discusses a range of issues that affect India's position in the global energy econom,y such as The geographic shifts in energy production and trade; international relations and economic sanctions that affect the oil trade; India's quest for energy security; and contest with China for oil assets; Building new partnerships, and investing in stable, oil-rich countries like the US and Canada, while keeping up existing energy relations with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait; Using market mechanisms to ensure energy security. Topical and comprehensive, this book in The Gateway House Guide to India in the 2020s series will be useful for scholars and researchers of international relations, geopolitics, foreign policy, security and strategic studies, energy studies, West Asia studies, South Asian studies, and international trade. It will also be of interest to policymakers, diplomats, career bureaucrats, and professionals working with think tanks, academia and multilateral agencies, media agencies, and businesses.

This book examines how bilateralism and multilateralism serve as cornerstones in bringing countries together to enhance regional cooperation. It explores the unfolding dynamics of bilateral and multilateral relationships in South Asia and looks at how factors like the absence of shared identities or common threats from external sources, a lack of trust, and suspicion are manifesting as obstacles for regional cooperation.With case studies from various constituent countries, the volume studies themes such as economic cooperation in South Asia, connections through sub-regional initiatives, migration and refugee problems in the region, SAARC and terrorism, the Pashtun factor in Afghanistan–Pakistan relations, India's interests in ASEAN and BIMSTEC, the nuclear dynamics of India–Pakistan relations, India–Bangladesh connectivity issues, Sri Lanka as a troubled island nation, and Afghanistan's relations with the Kashmir Valley. It discusses the implications of these long-standing issues that have stood as impediments to regional cooperation and bringing new perspectives to enable greater understanding and probable solutions.A comprehensive and accessible volume, it will be useful for scholars and researchers of international relations, international trade, South Asian studies, SAARC, regional development, international and multilateral trade, political studies, geo-politics, strategic and defence studies, and peace and conflict resolution.

This book discusses the ideological and historical relevance of the term ‘Eurasia'as a concept in the global geopolitical and ethno-cultural discourse. It focuses on the contested meanings attached to the idea and traces its historical evolution and interpretations. The volume examines the contours and characteristics of power politics in the Eurasian landscape by exploring the dynamics of the contending and competing interests that have come to occupy the region, particularly in the aftermath of the disintegration of the Soviet Union. It further examines the multiple narratives that define the socio-political realities of the region and also the policies of the state actors involved, by reflecting upon the multifaceted dimensions of the Eurasian issues. These include nation building strategies, identity, ethnic conflicts, security, democratization, globalization, international migration, climate change and energy extraction. The geopolitical and civilizational aspects of Eurasianism, in which Russia occupies a pivotal geo-political place creates both opportunities and anxieties for other stakeholders in the region. The book also holistically analyses the developmental dimensions of the post-Soviet space and ‘Eurasianism'as a concept and political practice in domestic, regional and global affairs. The book also analyses the developmental dimensions of the post-Soviet space and ‘Eurasianism'as a concept and political practice in domestic, regional and global affairs.

This book presents a comprehensive account of the socio-political thought of prominent modern Indian thinkers. It offers a clear understanding of the basic concepts and their contributions on contemporary issues.Key features: Explores the nature, scope, relevance, context, and theoretical approaches of modern Indian thought and overviews its development through an in-depth study of the lives and ideas of major thinkers. Examines critical themes such as nationalism, swaraj, democracy and state, liberalism, revolution, socialism, constitutionalism, secularism, satyāgraha, swadeshi, nationbuilding, humanism, ethics in politics, democratic decentralisation, religion and politics, social transformation and emancipation, and social and gender justice under sections on liberal-reformist, moderate-Gandhian, and leftist-socialist thought. Brings together insightful essays on Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Dayānanda Saraswati, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Pandita Ramabai, Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, Jyotirao Govindrao Phule, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, Ram Manohar Lohia, Babu Jagjivan Ram, Vinoba Bhave, Acharya Narendra Deva, Manabendra Nath Roy, and Jayaprakash Narayan. Traces different perspectives on the way India's composite cultures, traditions, and conditions inf luenced the evolution of their thought and legacy. With its accessible style, this book will be useful to teachers, students, and scholars of political science, modern Indian political thought, modern Indian history, and political philosophy. It will also interest those associated with exclusion studies, political sociology, sociology, and South Asian studies.

This book engages with evolving definitions of borders and citizenship in the public discourse in the South Asia region. The traditional understanding of citizenship and belonging in the Indian context has been fraying in recent decades. The book offers an analysis of discussions on India's contested zones, the anxieties around identity and the implications of and reactions to the National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in different regions in the country. It interrogates the concepts of belonging, ownership and dissent through an analysis of the anti-CAA protests, the Namasudra movements, the life of Tibetan refugees in India and the precarious lives of many communities in India who are identified as stateless, refugees, migrants or outsiders. Interdisciplinary and topical, this book will be of interest to students and researchers of sociology, political science, law, refugee studies, borderland studies, migration studies, public policy, social policy and development studies.

This book studies the exclusion and discrimination that is meted out to Scheduled Caste (SC) students in the Indian Higher Education system, and the psychosocial consequences of such practices. It foregrounds the conceptual debates around caste, exclusion, and reservations in Indian academia, discussing the social dominance and the roots of prejudices in the university spaces.The volume reflects upon the fragile social world in which students from the margins struggle for survival in the academic space. It reveals that these students navigate the various facets of academia – like classrooms, pedagogy, scholarships, hostels, peer groups, and teachers – only to find the academic space a dystopian universe. The book also sheds light on suicide cases committed by the marginalized groups as a testimony of protest.Based on in-depth ethnographic research, this book will be of interest to teachers, students and researchers of education, sociology, political science, psychology, and exclusion studies. It will also be useful for policymakers, social activists, NGOs, research centers, and those working in higher education, reservations, public policy, caste, and exclusion studies.

This book presents inter-disciplinary research on contemporary borders with contributions from scholars and cultural practitioners located in different contexts in the Americas and South Asia. There has been significant sociological work on borders; however there is a relative dearth of humanities research on contemporary border realities, particularly in South Asia.This volume introduces frameworks of critical insights and knowledge on border narratives and cultural productions. It addresses and goes beyond the impact of the partition in South Asia to train a unique comparative and aesthetic lens on borders and borderlands in relation to Latin America and the U.S.A. through oral narratives, photographs, ‘objects', films, theatre, journals, and songs. It maps border perspectives and their reception in a framework of cultural politics. It revolves around themes such as violence and modes of survival; women's narratives of migration, trafficking and incarceration; abduction of children; vulnerability as experience; rationalities of mass killings; and proliferation of countercultures to map border perspectives in a framework of cultural politics. First of its kind, the volume will be useful to scholars and researchers of comparative literary and cultural studies, South Asian studies, Latin American studies, border studies, arts and aesthetics, visual studies, sociology, comparative politics, international relations, and peace and conflict resolution studies.

This book studies how Development-Induced Displacement (DID) radically restructures gender relations in indigenous tribal societies. Through an indepth case study of the Indian state of Meghalaya, one of the few matrilineal societies of the world, it analyses how people cope with conflicts in their perception of self, family, and society brought on by the transition from traditional modes of living to increased urbanisation, and how these experiences are different for men and women. It looks at the ways in which this gendered change is experienced inter-generationally in different contexts of people's lives, including work and leisure activities. The book also investigates people's attitudes towards matrilineal structures and their perception of change on matriliny where mining has played a role in building their view of their matrilineal tradition.Drawing on extensive interviews with individuals directly affected by this phenomenon, the book, part of the Transition in Northeastern India series, makes a significant contribution to the study of DID. It will be useful for scholars and researchers of urbanisation, gender studies, Northeast India studies, development studies, minority studies, public policy, political studies, and sociology.