Politics

R.K. Barik: Land and Caste Politics in Bihar, Shipra Publications ,2006 ,New Delhi ISBN: 8175413174

The book looks Bihar politics from a different angle, Land and caste are two critical elements in politics. The book keeps a historical narrative to explain the dynamics of politics in Bihar. By 1930s Bihar had seen a militant kisan politics, which impinged the Congress Party. With the support of the Kisan Sabha the Congress Party comes to power but removed the Kisan Sabha from the party. The helped the landlords to be aggressive in politics. The politics of Bihar took a distinctive style after Independence. The weak Congress could not pursue land reforms. Who are responsible for sabotaging such a major policy? This, the failure of land reforms, has vitiated Bihar politics. Both caste and class play a decisive role in the present day politics of Bihar. Is casteism an urban phenomenon in the state? Who are responsible to spread casteism? The book tries to explain the logic of caste politics in Bihar. The book may be useful for general readers, research scholars and students of Political Science and Modern History.; Paperback

[SW: Politics, Bihar, Caste System]

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Jonathan Spencer: Anthropology, Politics, and the State: Democracy and Violence in South Asia (New Departures in Anthropology Series) Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 2008 ; weicher Einband / soft cover; 1. Ed. ISBN: 9780521722124
9780521722124 New

In recent years anthropology has rediscovered its interest in politics. Building on the findings of this research, this book offers a new way of analysing the relationship between culture and politics, with special attention to democracy, nationalism, the state and political violence. Beginning with scenes from an unruly early 1980s election campaign in Sri Lanka, it covers issues from rural policing in north India to slum housing in Delhi, presenting arguments about secularism and pluralism, and the ambiguous energies released by electoral democracy across the subcontinent. It ends by discussing feminist peace activists in Sri Lanka, struggling to sustain a window of shared humanity after two decades of war. Bringing together and linking the themes of democracy, identity and conflict, this important new study shows how anthropology can take a central role in understanding other people's politics, especially the issues that seem to have divided the world since 9/11. ° Synthesizes the most important recent approaches to the anthropology of politics ° Offers a new anthropological approach to the issues of democracy and nationalism ° Illustrated with first-hand accounts of events of politics and political violence in India and Sri Lanka Contents 1. The strange death of political anthropology; 2. Locating the political; 3. Culture, nation and misery; 4. Performing democracy; 5. The state and self-making; 6. The state and violence; 7. Pluralism in theory, pluralism in practice; 8. Politics and counter-politics. Printed Pages: 208 with 5 half-tones. First Edition Paperback 150 x 230 Mm; First Edition

[SW: Anthropology Politics State India South Asia Democracy ViolenceHistory, Culture, and Politics India]

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Nivedita Menon: Recovering Subversion: Feminist Politics Beyond the Law, New Delhi, India Permanent Black 2004 ; fester Einband / hard cover; Schutzumschlag / dust cover; 1. Ed. ISBN: 9788178240855
9788178240855 New

This books is about the relation between law and feminist politics. The area it traverses ranges from feminist initiatives on sexual harassment to the parity movement in France. Nivedita Menon addresses a particular dilemma for radical politics-in particular, feminist politics-in India. The dilemma has become visible over the last two decades and arises at the interface of radical political practice and the logic of constitutionalism. By 'constitutionalism' she refers to the specific method adopted by modern democracies of safeguarding the autonomy of the individual self. It is now generally recognised, however, that this objective is achieved by enforcing universal norms that marginalise and de-legitimise contesting worldviews and value systems. This particular method of organising democracies has a specific history and arose in a particular location-in Europe in the seventeenth century. By historicising this method, Menon shows us how, four centuries later, we live in a very different world. The dilemma that faces radical politics today is therefore what Menon terms the 'paradox of constitutionalism'. This occurs when various differing moral visions come up against the universalising drive of constitutionality and the language of universal rights. By examining three issues that the women's movement in India has engaged with-the practice of selective abortion of female foetuses, sexual violence, and reservations for women in representative institutions-Menon unfolds a two-pronged argument, namely that (a) the language of rights and citizenship is no longer unproblematically available to an emancipatory politics; and (b) that specifically in the context of feminist politics it has become increasingly difficult to sustain 'woman' as the subject of such a politics, despite (or perhaps because of) the explosion of 'gender' as a category of analysis in official state and NGO discourse. The book concludes by exploring the consequences of this understanding for feminist theory and practice. Printed Pages: 288. First Edition New Hardcover 14 Cms x 22 Cms; First Edition

[SW: Feminism IndiaFeminism Women's Studies]

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Nivedita Menon: Recovering Subversion: Feminist Politics Beyond the Law, New Delhi, India Permanent Black 2004 ; weicher Einband / soft cover; 1. Ed. ISBN: 9788178242101
9788178242101 New

This books is about the relation between law and feminist politics. The area it traverses ranges from feminist initiatives on sexual harassment to the parity movement in France. Nivedita Menon addresses a particular dilemma for radical politics-in particular, feminist politics-in India. The dilemma has become visible over the last two decades and arises at the interface of radical political practice and the logic of constitutionalism. By 'constitutionalism' she refers to the specific method adopted by modern democracies of safeguarding the autonomy of the individual self. It is now generally recognised, however, that this objective is achieved by enforcing universal norms that marginalise and de-legitimise contesting worldviews and value systems. This particular method of organising democracies has a specific history and arose in a particular location-in Europe in the seventeenth century. By historicising this method, Menon shows us how, four centuries later, we live in a very different world. The dilemma that faces radical politics today is therefore what Menon terms the 'paradox of constitutionalism'. This occurs when various differing moral visions come up against the universalising drive of constitutionality and the language of universal rights. By examining three issues that the women's movement in India has engaged with-the practice of selective abortion of female foetuses, sexual violence, and reservations for women in representative institutions-Menon unfolds a two-pronged argument, namely that (a) the language of rights and citizenship is no longer unproblematically available to an emancipatory politics; and (b) that specifically in the context of feminist politics it has become increasingly difficult to sustain 'woman' as the subject of such a politics, despite (or perhaps because of) the explosion of 'gender' as a category of analysis in official state and NGO discourse. The book concludes by exploring the consequences of this understanding for feminist theory and practice. Printed Pages: 288. First Edition Paperback 14 Cms x 22 Cms; First Edition

[SW: Feminism IndiaFeminism Women's Studies]

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