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Elusive Democracy

By Collins, Michael A.

Elusive Democracy Social Sciences

Elusive Democracy

By Collins, Michael A.

0 - Default Title
Description
Today, India is widely celebrated as the world's largest democracy. However, not all groups experience India's political institutions the same way. This book draws on extensive interviews with longtime Dalit (ex-Untouchable) activists and original archives of party documents to explore the democratic transformation of one of India's most prominent Dalit-led parties, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK; Liberation Panthers Party). Through a historical and ethnographic account of the VCK's transition from boycotts to ballots, this book provides a novel perspective on India's democratic trajectory, as well as its limits. Whereas VCK leaders initially viewed elections as an instrument to spur development and contest power asymmetries, they would come to recognize that democratic institutions can equally function as a means of containment, and control. The research shows how democratic politics opened new space for Dalit political advancement while simultaneously imposing unique constraints on these leaders that would reconfigure very nature of their politics.
Product details
Number of Pages:
288
Release Date:
2025-06-30
Publication Date:
2025-06-02
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Languages:
Original: English
ISBN10:
100956725X
ISBN13:
9781009567251
Weight:
622 g
Height:
157 cm
Width:
235 cm
Thickness:
22 cm
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