Party Politics, Ahead of Print.
Since 1990, multilateral organizations have invested in the idea that multiparty political systems are an essential part of building durable peace, and that former insurgents must be converted to political actors. To what extent does this foster longer term democracy and stability? In this paper, we focus on the role of electoral inclusion for post-rebel parties in the creation of stable party systems as one feature that supports both democratization and durable peace. We find that political integration of former insurgents in electoral politics not only serves the short-term purpose of bringing such groups “inside the tent” and smoothing the transition from war to peace. It also lays a foundation for the creation of stable party systems. We test our propositions with an original dataset and offer explanatory analysis of small set of parties.
Towards Visibility: Subaltern Counterpublics in Paul Chirakkarode’s Pulayathara
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Christianity has always been celebrated as a catalyst towards modernity for the Dalits of Kerala. Though missionary accounts and ethnographic studies confirm the progress of the community, there was rampant casteism and separatism too. This is succinctly revealed in Dalit Christian texts. Pulayathara by Paul Chirakkarode stands as a testimony to the Dalit Christian dilemma and traces the history of the Kuttanadan Pulaya community in the pre- and post-conversion scenarios. Conversions could not change the existing public sphere of Kerala, where upper castes were the dominant party. They (Dalits) continued to be marginalized and subordinated and lacked a class consciousness. The article highlights the limitations in the public sphere that emerged in Kerala as part of the missionary endeavours in accommodating the converted Dalits. The article attempts to trace the emergence of subaltern counterpublics among the Dalit Christians to oppose the continued oppression and casteism by situating Pulayathara at the centre of the analysis.
Christianity has always been celebrated as a catalyst towards modernity for the Dalits of Kerala. Though missionary accounts and ethnographic studies confirm the progress of the community, there was rampant casteism and separatism too. This is succinctly revealed in Dalit Christian texts. Pulayathara by Paul Chirakkarode stands as a testimony to the Dalit Christian dilemma and traces the history of the Kuttanadan Pulaya community in the pre- and post-conversion scenarios. Conversions could not change the existing public sphere of Kerala, where upper castes were the dominant party. They (Dalits) continued to be marginalized and subordinated and lacked a class consciousness. The article highlights the limitations in the public sphere that emerged in Kerala as part of the missionary endeavours in accommodating the converted Dalits. The article attempts to trace the emergence of subaltern counterpublics among the Dalit Christians to oppose the continued oppression and casteism by situating Pulayathara at the centre of the analysis.
Social media network homophily among political candidates in multilevel settings
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Social media network homophily among political candidates in multilevel settings
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Response of Local Government towards the Rural Dalits during the Second Wave of COVID-19: A Ground Experience from Remuna Block in the Balasore District of Odisha
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Dalit masses have historically been deprived of all sorts of privileges both socially and economically. But the debacle experience of rural Dalits during the pandemic in developing countries like India pose serious difficulties and challenges for accessing state-sponsored package and the state of Odisha is not an exception in this regard. Though Dalits’ conditions still remain unchanged due to ill practices of untouchability, the recent surge of coronavirus further pushed them into a deep catastrophic situation. This new experience brought multiple burdens on Dalits that affects their livelihood where poverty and malnutrition increased to some extent. In addition, the response of local governments during the first wave of COVID-19 across the country proved encouraging, but with the emergence of the second wave of COVID-19, it becomes pathetic in all aspects, which caused thousands of infections and deaths. The condition of rural Dalits of Odisha remains unchanged though the Constitution of India guarantees rights for all-round development of all sections of people, Dalits still suffer from exploitation and discrimination. This study attempts to understand the response of local government towards the rural Dalits of Odisha during the second wave of COVID-19 and tries to explore the ground reality that there is inherent local corruption and mismanagement of local funds, which caused the worst conditions for rural Dalits in the villages where majority populations are Dalits. The findings and inferences of the study reveal that Dalits of Odisha in general and Remuna Block of Balasore district in particular, faced more challenges in income, education and lack of health facilities during the second wave of COVID-19 due to their marginalization and lack of knowledge about COVID-19 having low economic status. The suggestive measures have been made at the end of the article to minimize such unpleasant conditions of Dalits and their miserable conditions at any stage, especially during the outbreak of any pandemic, natural calamities must be taken into consideration by focusing on different social and economic dimensions that empower the Dalits.
Dalit masses have historically been deprived of all sorts of privileges both socially and economically. But the debacle experience of rural Dalits during the pandemic in developing countries like India pose serious difficulties and challenges for accessing state-sponsored package and the state of Odisha is not an exception in this regard. Though Dalits’ conditions still remain unchanged due to ill practices of untouchability, the recent surge of coronavirus further pushed them into a deep catastrophic situation. This new experience brought multiple burdens on Dalits that affects their livelihood where poverty and malnutrition increased to some extent. In addition, the response of local governments during the first wave of COVID-19 across the country proved encouraging, but with the emergence of the second wave of COVID-19, it becomes pathetic in all aspects, which caused thousands of infections and deaths. The condition of rural Dalits of Odisha remains unchanged though the Constitution of India guarantees rights for all-round development of all sections of people, Dalits still suffer from exploitation and discrimination. This study attempts to understand the response of local government towards the rural Dalits of Odisha during the second wave of COVID-19 and tries to explore the ground reality that there is inherent local corruption and mismanagement of local funds, which caused the worst conditions for rural Dalits in the villages where majority populations are Dalits. The findings and inferences of the study reveal that Dalits of Odisha in general and Remuna Block of Balasore district in particular, faced more challenges in income, education and lack of health facilities during the second wave of COVID-19 due to their marginalization and lack of knowledge about COVID-19 having low economic status. The suggestive measures have been made at the end of the article to minimize such unpleasant conditions of Dalits and their miserable conditions at any stage, especially during the outbreak of any pandemic, natural calamities must be taken into consideration by focusing on different social and economic dimensions that empower the Dalits.
Disrupting Caste Hegemony in Punjab: A Reading of the Punjabi Dalit Poetry of the Pre-Independence Period
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The idea of caste has always been debatable, contested and controversial. Since the time of its inception, it has been prevalent throughout India. Any Indian cannot define his or her identity without referring to his or her caste. However, it also became and still is a reason behind the marginalization and exploitation of millions of people. Various activists, scholars, thinkers, political leaders and literary writers have tried to fight against the stigmatization of a particular caste. However, the experience of caste discrimination is not the same in all the states of India. Though the basic problems and concerns of Dalits such as untouchability and exploitation are the same, their degree and intensity vary from one state to another. Various cultural, social and economic moorings impact the way caste-based discrimination is practised in a particular society. Various critics from Punjab such as Ronki Ram, Harish Puri and Paramjit Judge argue that the experience of Dalits in Punjab is comparatively different than those in other parts of India because in Punjab casteism was practised not on the basis of purity/pollution syndrome but as a divide between the landless and the land-owning communities, so they have studied the material aspect of caste. It is observed that the literary writings by Dalits from Punjab highlight instances of untouchability and caste-based discrimination in the pre- and post-independence periods. They resisted and protested against the caste system and also claimed to overthrow it. Therefore, the article seeks to evaluate the notion of casteless in Punjab. It takes into account the poetry of Gurdas Ram Alam, Charan Das Nidharak and Pritam Ramdaspuri. Through the qualitative content analysis using theories of Dalit aesthetics, the article explores the major thrust areas of Punjabi Dalit poets and highlights how these poets express their caste identity and try to raise the consciousness of their fellow caste members and protest against the discriminatory practices of the dominant Punjabi society and culture. It also, in a way, makes these poets (and those communities to which they belong) a subcultural phenomenon that runs parallel to the dominant Jatt culture of Punjab.
The idea of caste has always been debatable, contested and controversial. Since the time of its inception, it has been prevalent throughout India. Any Indian cannot define his or her identity without referring to his or her caste. However, it also became and still is a reason behind the marginalization and exploitation of millions of people. Various activists, scholars, thinkers, political leaders and literary writers have tried to fight against the stigmatization of a particular caste. However, the experience of caste discrimination is not the same in all the states of India. Though the basic problems and concerns of Dalits such as untouchability and exploitation are the same, their degree and intensity vary from one state to another. Various cultural, social and economic moorings impact the way caste-based discrimination is practised in a particular society. Various critics from Punjab such as Ronki Ram, Harish Puri and Paramjit Judge argue that the experience of Dalits in Punjab is comparatively different than those in other parts of India because in Punjab casteism was practised not on the basis of purity/pollution syndrome but as a divide between the landless and the land-owning communities, so they have studied the material aspect of caste. It is observed that the literary writings by Dalits from Punjab highlight instances of untouchability and caste-based discrimination in the pre- and post-independence periods. They resisted and protested against the caste system and also claimed to overthrow it. Therefore, the article seeks to evaluate the notion of casteless in Punjab. It takes into account the poetry of Gurdas Ram Alam, Charan Das Nidharak and Pritam Ramdaspuri. Through the qualitative content analysis using theories of Dalit aesthetics, the article explores the major thrust areas of Punjabi Dalit poets and highlights how these poets express their caste identity and try to raise the consciousness of their fellow caste members and protest against the discriminatory practices of the dominant Punjabi society and culture. It also, in a way, makes these poets (and those communities to which they belong) a subcultural phenomenon that runs parallel to the dominant Jatt culture of Punjab.
Book review: Rup Kumar Barman, Caste, Class and Culture: The Malos, Adwaita Malla Barman and History of India and Bangladesh
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Rup Kumar Barman, Caste, Class and Culture: The Malos, Adwaita Malla Barman and History of India and Bangladesh. New Delhi: Abhijeet Publications, 2020, 224 pp., ₹ 978-93-88865-49-4 (Hardback)
Rup Kumar Barman, Caste, Class and Culture: The Malos, Adwaita Malla Barman and History of India and Bangladesh. New Delhi: Abhijeet Publications, 2020, 224 pp., ₹ 978-93-88865-49-4 (Hardback)
Voices and Perspectives of Dalit Elected Women Representatives in Local Governance and Politics in Kerala, India
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Volume 15, Issue 1_suppl, Page S152-S165, August 2023.
This article explores how gender socialization as women along with other intersecting identities influence the perspectives of Dalit Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) on power relations in the political space of Kerala. The purpose of the article is to understand the perspectives of Dalit EWRs on power relations in local governance, which reveal the barriers, their interest and aspirations in local governance and politics. The perspectives are elicited through detailed interviews of EWRs for two time periods. The study finds that EWRs participation in local electoral politics and the extent to gain space for decision-making would depend on their ability to overcome barriers to their representation and acceptance in decision-making fora. They also faced caste discrimination and allegations of favouritism in the governance.
This article explores how gender socialization as women along with other intersecting identities influence the perspectives of Dalit Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) on power relations in the political space of Kerala. The purpose of the article is to understand the perspectives of Dalit EWRs on power relations in local governance, which reveal the barriers, their interest and aspirations in local governance and politics. The perspectives are elicited through detailed interviews of EWRs for two time periods. The study finds that EWRs participation in local electoral politics and the extent to gain space for decision-making would depend on their ability to overcome barriers to their representation and acceptance in decision-making fora. They also faced caste discrimination and allegations of favouritism in the governance.
Democracy, Development and Political Representation: Notes on Dalit Assertion in Uttar Pradesh
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
This article takes three concepts, namely ‘democracy’, ‘development’ and ‘political representation’ as entry points to understand the functioning of democracy in Uttar Pradesh. India, since the 1980s, has seen a tremendous rise of ‘lowered’ caste people and a parallel rise of Hindu communalism by ‘upper’ castes. In this respect, it becomes pertinent to ask if the rise of plebeians in Uttar Pradesh’s political sphere brought about any actual change in the lives of the plebeians. In search for an answer to this question, this article looks at the conspicuous rise of Dalits from the early 1980s. It proposes that rather than looking from the vantage point of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Dalit assertion must be seen through non-BSP factors and broader socio-economic and demographic changes happening before the 1980s in the state. Thus, the article delves into the lives of All India Backward (SC, ST, and OBC) and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF), Dalit Panthers, Ambedkarite social activists and Ravidasis-Buddhists. It argues that Dalit assertion is about the deepening of formal democracy, increment in substantive democracy and a demand for greater civility. Dalit movement is not ethnic, rather, it is universal, and the article explores it through secondary literature and fieldwork-based observations in Uttar Pradesh.
This article takes three concepts, namely ‘democracy’, ‘development’ and ‘political representation’ as entry points to understand the functioning of democracy in Uttar Pradesh. India, since the 1980s, has seen a tremendous rise of ‘lowered’ caste people and a parallel rise of Hindu communalism by ‘upper’ castes. In this respect, it becomes pertinent to ask if the rise of plebeians in Uttar Pradesh’s political sphere brought about any actual change in the lives of the plebeians. In search for an answer to this question, this article looks at the conspicuous rise of Dalits from the early 1980s. It proposes that rather than looking from the vantage point of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Dalit assertion must be seen through non-BSP factors and broader socio-economic and demographic changes happening before the 1980s in the state. Thus, the article delves into the lives of All India Backward (SC, ST, and OBC) and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF), Dalit Panthers, Ambedkarite social activists and Ravidasis-Buddhists. It argues that Dalit assertion is about the deepening of formal democracy, increment in substantive democracy and a demand for greater civility. Dalit movement is not ethnic, rather, it is universal, and the article explores it through secondary literature and fieldwork-based observations in Uttar Pradesh.