Elusive Democracy
Elusive Democracy
$120.00
USDToday, 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.
- Provides a unique historical genealogy of a Dalit party
- Features in-depth interviews with Dalit politicians
- Builds on an original archive of political materials
Product details
August 2025Hardback
9781009567251
220 pages
229 × 152 mm
Not yet published - available from August 2025
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Part I. From Boycotts to Ballots (1982–1999):
- 1. Retiring the Pen
- 2. A Right to Development
- 3. Missed Connections
- 4. A State of Emergency
- Part II. Contesting Elections (1999–2023):
- 5. A Contested Commons
- 6. A Curated Campaign
- 7. Behind the Ballot
- 8. The Price of the Ticket
- Conclusion.
