Party Politics, Volume 29, Issue 5, Page 994-995, September 2023.
Subversion of Casteism in Sajitha Madathil’s Kali Natakam: A Dalit Feminist Study
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Volume 15, Issue 1_suppl, Page S67-S74, August 2023.
The feminist play Kali Natakam by Sajitha Madathil explores the injustices encountered by women in a ‘progressive society’ through Mudiyettu, a ritual dance performed in Kali Temples in Central Kerala. But is gender inequality the only visible problem in the play? Do mainstream feminist studies overshadow the issue of caste discrimination? Madathil’s play, Kali Natakam, is studied using the framework of Dalit feminism to understand the triple oppression Dalit women experience based on their caste, gender and race differences. Through an amalgamation of the myth of Kali and Darika, and a portrayal of contemporary society, the play complicates the notion of gender and caste discrimination. This article uses the concept of ‘intersectionality,’ introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, to understand the play in the dimensions of gender, caste and race. The basis of Dalit feminism is the testimonies given by Dalit women revealing how their everyday lives differed from those of non-Dalit women. First-person narratives lead in building the canvas of feminist thought in connection with caste identity. And how monopolizing gender by sideling race and caste differences ends in shunning some of the significant concerns and problems of women of different communities, especially Dalits. Considering the gender and caste element, a Dalit feminist analysis becomes the most appropriate way to study the play instead of doing separate studies. Recognizing the intersectionality in the play leads to comprehending the complexities of discrimination operating at multiple levels.
The feminist play Kali Natakam by Sajitha Madathil explores the injustices encountered by women in a ‘progressive society’ through Mudiyettu, a ritual dance performed in Kali Temples in Central Kerala. But is gender inequality the only visible problem in the play? Do mainstream feminist studies overshadow the issue of caste discrimination? Madathil’s play, Kali Natakam, is studied using the framework of Dalit feminism to understand the triple oppression Dalit women experience based on their caste, gender and race differences. Through an amalgamation of the myth of Kali and Darika, and a portrayal of contemporary society, the play complicates the notion of gender and caste discrimination. This article uses the concept of ‘intersectionality,’ introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, to understand the play in the dimensions of gender, caste and race. The basis of Dalit feminism is the testimonies given by Dalit women revealing how their everyday lives differed from those of non-Dalit women. First-person narratives lead in building the canvas of feminist thought in connection with caste identity. And how monopolizing gender by sideling race and caste differences ends in shunning some of the significant concerns and problems of women of different communities, especially Dalits. Considering the gender and caste element, a Dalit feminist analysis becomes the most appropriate way to study the play instead of doing separate studies. Recognizing the intersectionality in the play leads to comprehending the complexities of discrimination operating at multiple levels.
Varieties of food democracy: a systematic literature review
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Prime ministers in waiting? Women leaders of the opposition in Westminster systems
Party Politics, Ahead of Print.
One of the key defining features of Westminster-type democracies is the acknowledgement of an official Opposition and a Leader of the Opposition typically referred to as a ‘prime minister in waiting’. This article focuses on this crucial element of Westminster democracy and applies a gender perspective, looking into women Leaders of the Opposition in the UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia (1975–2022). As this inquiry reveals, there have been few and mostly short-lived women Leaders of the Opposition. Further, contrary to plausible assumptions, there have been more women Leaders of the Opposition from conservative than from left-wing parties. In particular, however, the office of Leader of the Opposition has, with few exceptions, not proven as a springboard to the premiership. In fact, a majority of women prime ministers were ‘takeover prime ministers’, inheriting the office from a predecessor from their own party, rather than former Leaders of the Opposition, while many women Leaders of the Opposition were not even given the opportunity to lead their party into a national election campaign. The article discusses possible explanations for these patterns observed.
One of the key defining features of Westminster-type democracies is the acknowledgement of an official Opposition and a Leader of the Opposition typically referred to as a ‘prime minister in waiting’. This article focuses on this crucial element of Westminster democracy and applies a gender perspective, looking into women Leaders of the Opposition in the UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia (1975–2022). As this inquiry reveals, there have been few and mostly short-lived women Leaders of the Opposition. Further, contrary to plausible assumptions, there have been more women Leaders of the Opposition from conservative than from left-wing parties. In particular, however, the office of Leader of the Opposition has, with few exceptions, not proven as a springboard to the premiership. In fact, a majority of women prime ministers were ‘takeover prime ministers’, inheriting the office from a predecessor from their own party, rather than former Leaders of the Opposition, while many women Leaders of the Opposition were not even given the opportunity to lead their party into a national election campaign. The article discusses possible explanations for these patterns observed.
Correction
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‘How dare you!’: a conceptualization of the eco-shaming discourse in Belgium
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Be careful what you wish for: Portfolio allocation, presidential popularity, and electoral payoffs to parties in multiparty presidentialism
Party Politics, Ahead of Print.
We know little about how coalitional strategy affects the electoral fates of political parties in presidential democracy. The literature on coalitions in parliamentary systems shows a negative impact of entering government, while the coattail effects literature on presidential systems suggests some benefits. Combining elements from both approaches, we argue that there is a conditional electoral effect of joining the cabinet under coalitional presidentialism. Even considering presidentialism’s heightened attribution of responsibility to a unipersonal executive, we find that coalition parties do indeed place a meaningful electoral wager whenever they choose to enter the president’s cabinet as identifiable allies. Leveraging data on Brazilian elections held at national and local levels over 24 years and employing an innovative measure of portfolio salience, we show that the payoff of this wager is contingent on control of the most highly-valued cabinet positions and on the popular approval of the president.
We know little about how coalitional strategy affects the electoral fates of political parties in presidential democracy. The literature on coalitions in parliamentary systems shows a negative impact of entering government, while the coattail effects literature on presidential systems suggests some benefits. Combining elements from both approaches, we argue that there is a conditional electoral effect of joining the cabinet under coalitional presidentialism. Even considering presidentialism’s heightened attribution of responsibility to a unipersonal executive, we find that coalition parties do indeed place a meaningful electoral wager whenever they choose to enter the president’s cabinet as identifiable allies. Leveraging data on Brazilian elections held at national and local levels over 24 years and employing an innovative measure of portfolio salience, we show that the payoff of this wager is contingent on control of the most highly-valued cabinet positions and on the popular approval of the president.
Rings in the Water: Felt Externalisation in the Extended EU borderlands
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The Greater India Experiment: Hindutva and the Northeast
Correction
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