Apologies for Cross-posting
Session Call For Papers: ICCG Conference, Frankfurt, 16-20
August, 2011
Critical perspectives on subaltern struggles in South
Asia
Andrew Davies, University of Liverpool
([log in to unmask])
Oppositional struggles in South Asia have a long history,
from the resistance to colonisation through to contemporary struggles against
neoliberalism. Popular discourse has it that India is undergoing an economic
revolution which has the potential to allow it to develop into a superpower for
the 21st century (a claim clearly open to contestation, see Ahmed et
al, 2011). Meanwhile its neighbours Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal have
experienced considerable political turmoil (see for example Lawoti, 2007, Mohammad
& Sidaway, Forthcoming). These processes remain diverse in the ranges of
social and political issues being addressed, from ‘traditional’
struggles about labour, ethnicity and caste, through to transnational
organising over environmental and natural resource issues. South Asia, then, is
at the forefront of debates about resistance to neoliberalism, current
development orthodoxy and wider geopolitical tensions about the
‘BRIC’ countries and the ‘War on Terror’.
Taking inspiration from Partha Chatterjee’s (2004) call
for understanding ‘the politics of the governed’ - those groups who
exist beyond or below ‘traditional’ civil society - this session
seeks to explore some of the current trends in South Asian politics and their
potential to help understand the state of contemporary resistant politics. At
the same time, it seeks to interrogate what is at stake when we think spatially
about the politics of the governed, and more broadly, what are the current
intersections between space, neoliberalism and resistant political activity in
South Asia. These issues have important implications not only in the region,
but also for wider political trends across the world.
Potential questions for discussion include:
·
What
alternative political practices have emerged in South Asia and how are they
useful in generating more equitable and just futures?
·
What
effects has the worldwide economic crisis had on political discourse in the
region? Is the crisis likely to consolidate or help disrupt neoliberalism in
the region?
·
What
can be said about the diverse range of strategies employed by political
movements in the region? Relatedly, what can be said about the effects of
more-or-less violent political activity deployed by movements within the
region?
·
How
are power relations between local, national and transnational movements
articulated? What can the successes and failures of South Asian movements tell
us about how to resist injustice elsewhere?
Contributions from those working within South Asia and from
activists, social movements, labour unions and other non-academic sources are
particularly welcome.
Abstracts of 250 words to be sent to [log in to unmask] by the 7th
of February.
This
is a session call under Theme 5: Oppositional Struggles Worldwide, organised by
Andy Cumbers, School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow [log in to unmask],
& Dave Featherstone, School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University
of Glasgow, [log in to unmask]
References
Ahmed, W, Kundu, A & Peet, R (eds.) 2011 India’s
New Economic Policy: A Critical Analysis Oxford, Routledge
Chatterjee, P 2004 The Politics of the Governed New
York, Columbia Uni. Press
Lawoti, M (ed.) 2007 Contentious Politics and
Democratization in Nepal New Delhi, Sage
Mohammad, R & Sidaway, J Forthcoming ‘Stalingrad
in the Hindu Kush? AFPAK, Crucibles and Chains of Terror’ Antipode
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8330.2010.00805.x
Dr Andrew Davies
School of Environmental Sciences
The University of Liverpool
Roxby Building
L69 7ZT
Email [log in to unmask]
Tel: (0)151 794 2840