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Micro-level Manifestations of Casteism in Select Malayalam Dalit Short Stories
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Kerala’s social sphere is well-stocked with the elements of modernity like literacy, democracy, equality and fraternity, which makes it difficult to identify and classify casteism and its effects. The projected image of modernity makes Kerala’s public sphere more accessible and permissible to minority groups when compared to other states. The state’s emergence after independence manifests through its learning and employment institutions. These motifs of development camouflage the existing casteism present in the state, thus making it invisible. Here, Dalit literature becomes pivotal as it becomes a storehouse of implicit caste references and stereotyping, which the statistics often fail to see. The article puts into perspective two Dalit short stories, ‘Mea Culpa’ and ‘Karthik Immanuel’s Spiritual Musings’ written by Raju K. Vasu and Prince Aymenem, respectively. They represent a public sphere where no explicit casteism occurs, whereas its repercussions are nevertheless felt. The stories showcase how micro-level manifestations of casteism occur, which are neither identified nor quantified. Taking the concept of microaggression proposed by Psychologist Derald Wing Sue, the research attempts to do a narrative analysis of the primary texts, delving deep into the invisible but pervading casteism.
Kerala’s social sphere is well-stocked with the elements of modernity like literacy, democracy, equality and fraternity, which makes it difficult to identify and classify casteism and its effects. The projected image of modernity makes Kerala’s public sphere more accessible and permissible to minority groups when compared to other states. The state’s emergence after independence manifests through its learning and employment institutions. These motifs of development camouflage the existing casteism present in the state, thus making it invisible. Here, Dalit literature becomes pivotal as it becomes a storehouse of implicit caste references and stereotyping, which the statistics often fail to see. The article puts into perspective two Dalit short stories, ‘Mea Culpa’ and ‘Karthik Immanuel’s Spiritual Musings’ written by Raju K. Vasu and Prince Aymenem, respectively. They represent a public sphere where no explicit casteism occurs, whereas its repercussions are nevertheless felt. The stories showcase how micro-level manifestations of casteism occur, which are neither identified nor quantified. Taking the concept of microaggression proposed by Psychologist Derald Wing Sue, the research attempts to do a narrative analysis of the primary texts, delving deep into the invisible but pervading casteism.
Empowerment of Scheduled Castes in India: An Impact Assessment Study of Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Caste-based social stratification is strong in India. Scheduled Castes (SCs) are weaker section of the society facing multiple inequities and discrimination in India. The state of Haryana has enacted Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, by which educational qualifications have been made mandatory to fight Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) elections since 2016. Based on secondary data collected from the Haryana Panchayati Raj Institutions Election Reports for the year 2010 and 2016, the study reveals that the share of elected SC PRIs increased from 22.94% in 2010 to 25.39% in 2016, after the introduction of educational qualifications for the PRIs election. Empowerment has been gauged on account of extra seats SCs have won than the seats reserved. SC PRIs empowerment composite score increased from 71.07 in 2010 to 116.55 in 2016. Mewat district had low educational level among rural SCs recorded highest PRIs empowerment index. The study highlights that the SCs, particularly of Panchkula, Kaithal, Sonipat and Jind districts require some motivational support to encourage their participation in PRIs elections.
Caste-based social stratification is strong in India. Scheduled Castes (SCs) are weaker section of the society facing multiple inequities and discrimination in India. The state of Haryana has enacted Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, by which educational qualifications have been made mandatory to fight Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) elections since 2016. Based on secondary data collected from the Haryana Panchayati Raj Institutions Election Reports for the year 2010 and 2016, the study reveals that the share of elected SC PRIs increased from 22.94% in 2010 to 25.39% in 2016, after the introduction of educational qualifications for the PRIs election. Empowerment has been gauged on account of extra seats SCs have won than the seats reserved. SC PRIs empowerment composite score increased from 71.07 in 2010 to 116.55 in 2016. Mewat district had low educational level among rural SCs recorded highest PRIs empowerment index. The study highlights that the SCs, particularly of Panchkula, Kaithal, Sonipat and Jind districts require some motivational support to encourage their participation in PRIs elections.
‘No Home’ and ‘No Host’ but a ‘Third Space’ for Jasmine
Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
In Jasmine, the conceptual understanding of Bharati Mukherjee’s protagonist Jyoti is often caught between two worlds and cultures. This is the story of a simple Indian village girl Jyoti’s journey from India to America. During her journey, her transformation and feminist role are significant to understand the cultural changes in her life. This article analyses Mukherjee’s Jasmine with the diasporic postcolonial theoretical framework. This article explores Jyoti’s struggles, assimilation and accommodation in the Third Space with scholars like Bhabha, Lin and Schwartz et al. The postcolonial concepts like a Third Space, identity transformation and acculturation process create a space to explore Jasmine’s journey. To conclude, her efforts to assimilate and identity construction attracts us to explore diasporic space in women’s life. This research finds a potential scope to explore the cross-cultural psychology of the female character in the novel to (re)present the diasporic journey from India to America. This research finds that Jasmine’s role as a diasporic figure creates a Third Space and acculturation.
In Jasmine, the conceptual understanding of Bharati Mukherjee’s protagonist Jyoti is often caught between two worlds and cultures. This is the story of a simple Indian village girl Jyoti’s journey from India to America. During her journey, her transformation and feminist role are significant to understand the cultural changes in her life. This article analyses Mukherjee’s Jasmine with the diasporic postcolonial theoretical framework. This article explores Jyoti’s struggles, assimilation and accommodation in the Third Space with scholars like Bhabha, Lin and Schwartz et al. The postcolonial concepts like a Third Space, identity transformation and acculturation process create a space to explore Jasmine’s journey. To conclude, her efforts to assimilate and identity construction attracts us to explore diasporic space in women’s life. This research finds a potential scope to explore the cross-cultural psychology of the female character in the novel to (re)present the diasporic journey from India to America. This research finds that Jasmine’s role as a diasporic figure creates a Third Space and acculturation.
Anti-defection rules and party switching in the Italian Parliament
Party Politics, Ahead of Print.
Despite considerable progress in the study of party switching, scholarly interest in institutional constraints explicitly designed to limit or penalise inter-party mobility remains limited in the literature. This paper contributes to the emerging scholarship on party switching and legal institutional constrains by assessing the effectiveness of the new anti-defection regulations introduced in the Italian Senate starting from 2018. To evaluate the impact of this intervention, we develop two quasi-experimental research approaches that take advantage of the bicameral structure of the Italian Parliament and the fact that the anti-defection regulations were only implemented in the Senate and not in the Chamber of Deputies. Our results indicate that anti-defection regulations failed both to limit inter-party mobility and the formation of new legislative parties. However, they results effective in influencing the timing of party switching, concentrating it in the phases of government formation and dissolution.
Despite considerable progress in the study of party switching, scholarly interest in institutional constraints explicitly designed to limit or penalise inter-party mobility remains limited in the literature. This paper contributes to the emerging scholarship on party switching and legal institutional constrains by assessing the effectiveness of the new anti-defection regulations introduced in the Italian Senate starting from 2018. To evaluate the impact of this intervention, we develop two quasi-experimental research approaches that take advantage of the bicameral structure of the Italian Parliament and the fact that the anti-defection regulations were only implemented in the Senate and not in the Chamber of Deputies. Our results indicate that anti-defection regulations failed both to limit inter-party mobility and the formation of new legislative parties. However, they results effective in influencing the timing of party switching, concentrating it in the phases of government formation and dissolution.
How ballot access laws increase primary competition and decrease party unity
Party Politics, Ahead of Print.
How do electoral institutions affect primary competition and legislative behavior? This paper examines the understudied electoral rule known as ballot access laws, advancing the novel theory that denying ballot access to minor candidates forces these outsiders into major parties. I find that in American states that adopt high ballot access thresholds experience higher rates of ideological heterogeneity and primary competition, and those that reduce their thresholds experience a reduction in heterogeneity and competition. Using an original dataset on state-level changes to ballot access thresholds from 1990 to 2018, I find that an increase in the number and type of primary competition leads to an increase in heterogeneity within both party caucuses. This paper adds to the literature on legislative behavior and electoral institutions, demonstrating institutions role in shaping electoral competition and the ideology of those represented in office.
How do electoral institutions affect primary competition and legislative behavior? This paper examines the understudied electoral rule known as ballot access laws, advancing the novel theory that denying ballot access to minor candidates forces these outsiders into major parties. I find that in American states that adopt high ballot access thresholds experience higher rates of ideological heterogeneity and primary competition, and those that reduce their thresholds experience a reduction in heterogeneity and competition. Using an original dataset on state-level changes to ballot access thresholds from 1990 to 2018, I find that an increase in the number and type of primary competition leads to an increase in heterogeneity within both party caucuses. This paper adds to the literature on legislative behavior and electoral institutions, demonstrating institutions role in shaping electoral competition and the ideology of those represented in office.
TRADITIONAL BELIEFS AND ELECTORAL BEHAVIOR IN INDONESIA
World Affairs, Ahead of Print.
While several studies on the issue have shown that traditional beliefs affect people's political behavior and preferences, very little attention has been paid to how traditional beliefs influence electoral behavior. The only study that has attempted to link traditional beliefs and electoral behavior has done so by analyzing the case of Togo where the party system has been traditionally fairly stable and unfragmented. The case of Indonesia, on the other hand, has undergone significant changes since the end of the Orde Baru, and what was once a fairly unfragmented party system now displays high levels of fragmentation. Hence, it is particularly interesting to explore how the presence/diffusion of traditional beliefs shapes the voters’ choices in a changing, increasingly fragmented, democratizing political system. Moreover, in reviewing the literature on Indonesian elections, we find that, first, the study of electoral behavior in Indonesia has made little effort to employ existing theoretical frameworks; second, quantitative studies are scarce; and third, there are practically no micro-level quantitative studies on electoral behavior. In this article, we assess whether and to what extent the electoral choice of a voter is affected by whether and to what extent they hold on to traditional beliefs by performing statistical analyses of original survey data. We find that voters with a traditional mindset are more likely to vote for the secular parties in the ruling coalition than voters who do not hold traditional beliefs.
While several studies on the issue have shown that traditional beliefs affect people's political behavior and preferences, very little attention has been paid to how traditional beliefs influence electoral behavior. The only study that has attempted to link traditional beliefs and electoral behavior has done so by analyzing the case of Togo where the party system has been traditionally fairly stable and unfragmented. The case of Indonesia, on the other hand, has undergone significant changes since the end of the Orde Baru, and what was once a fairly unfragmented party system now displays high levels of fragmentation. Hence, it is particularly interesting to explore how the presence/diffusion of traditional beliefs shapes the voters’ choices in a changing, increasingly fragmented, democratizing political system. Moreover, in reviewing the literature on Indonesian elections, we find that, first, the study of electoral behavior in Indonesia has made little effort to employ existing theoretical frameworks; second, quantitative studies are scarce; and third, there are practically no micro-level quantitative studies on electoral behavior. In this article, we assess whether and to what extent the electoral choice of a voter is affected by whether and to what extent they hold on to traditional beliefs by performing statistical analyses of original survey data. We find that voters with a traditional mindset are more likely to vote for the secular parties in the ruling coalition than voters who do not hold traditional beliefs.
The formative years of Iran’s ‘jihadi field diplomacy’ in Azerbaijan
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Preparing for the future of work: strategic responses to uncertainty in labour markets
International Journal of Public Policy, Volume 17, Issue 1-2, Page 76-99, January 2023.
Book Review: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Welfare State: The Historical and Contemporary Role of CSR in the Mixed Economy of Welfare by Jeanette Brejning
World Affairs, Ahead of Print.