Studies in Indian Politics, Volume 11, Issue 1, Page 27-38, June 2023.
Both Narendra Modi and Rodrigo Duterte stand out as leaders that epitomise their respective reigns in ways that previous leaders did not. A juxtaposition of their political personae allows us to investigate a contemporary political phenomenon, that of the elected strongman leader. This article makes three points from this juxtaposition: (a) They presided over a period of ‘democratic backsliding’. (b) They came with social media. (c) They are their own message and that message is that they are extraordinary leaders, above ordinary constraints. This article concludes that they represent strongman politics—where they as their people’s representative engage in acts symbolic of the people’s sovereignty. In an age of discontent with democracy, new and social media have allowed them to portray themselves as true defenders of ‘the people’.

Studies in Indian Politics, Volume 11, Issue 1, Page 134-139, June 2023.

Studies in Indian Politics, Volume 11, Issue 1, Page 155-157, June 2023.
Anupama Roy, Citizenship Regimes, Law, and Belonging: The CAA and the NRC. India: Oxford University Press. 2022. 288 pages. ₹1,495.