Cultivating Democracy: Politics and Citizenship in Agrarian India by Mukulika Ba

The Nile on eBay   Cultivating Democracy by Mukulika Banerjee

An ethnographic study of Indian democracy that shows how agrarian life creates values of citizenship and active engagement that are essential for the cultivation of democracy.Cultivating Democracy provides a compelling ethnographic analysis of the relationship between formal political institutions and everyday citizenship in rural India. Banerjee draws on deep engagement with the people and social life in two WestBengal villages from 1998-2013, during election campaigns and in the times between, to show how the micro-politics of their day-to-day life builds active engagement with the macro-politics of state and nation. Her sensitiveanalysis focuses on several "events" in the life of the villages shows how India's agrarian rural society helps create practices and conceptual space for these citizens to be effective participants in India's great democratic exercises. Specifically, she shows how the villagers' creative practices around their kinship, farming and religion, while navigating encounters with local communist cadres, constitute a vital and continuing cultivation of those republican virtues of cooperation, civility,solidarity and vigilance which the visionary Ambedkar considered essential for the success of Indian democracy. At a time when so much of that constitutional vision is under threat, this book providesa crucial scholarly rebuttal to all, on Right or Left, who dismiss rural citizens' political capacities and democratic values. This book will appeal to anyone interested in India's political culture and future, its rural society, or the continuing relevance of political anthropology.

FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Author Biography

Mukulika Banerjee is Associate Professor in Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics. Her books include Why India Votes?, The Pathan Unarmed, The Sari, and the edited volume Muslim Portraits.

Table of Contents

PrefaceI. The Event and DemocracyII. Context: The village in a democracyIII. Scandal: Cultivating competitionIV. Harvest: Cultivating solidarityV. Qurbani: Cultivating faithVI. Election: Cultivating citizenshipVII. Cultivating democracyAcknowledgements

Review

Cultivating Democracy will be essential reading for anyone interested in the politics of citizenship in contemporary India, and in political change in West Bengal. It also serves as an effective reminder of the profound changes to Indian and West Bengal democracy and politics over the past decade. * Kenneth Bo Nielsen, Journal of Contemporary Asia *Cultivating Democracy is well-written and easy to follow, making it accessible to a wide range of readers. It is also well-researched and well-argued, drawing on a variety of sources and providing comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the subject. Banerjee has done a great job of weaving together theoretical and empirical insights to provide a rich and nuanced perspective on politics and citizenship in rural India, challenging the dominant view of democracy and citizenship as simply a matter of formal political rights and representation. Overall, the book contributes to the literature on Indian politics, democracy and citizenship. Cultivating Democracy is recommended to anyone interested in understanding the complexities of politics and citizenship in the Global South. * Dr Kishor K. Podh, LSE Review of Books *This is a work of both theoretical sophistication and vivid ethnography that takes us into the everyday life of rural Bengal as we follow the rhythms and tempos of political allegiances, enmities, compromises, and hopes that portray the lived experience of democratic politics. With an eye on minor characters as well as major players in the political field Banerjee's receptivity to unforeseen events within the everyday, and her attention to the small events of history, together stitch theory and ethnography and make for unforgettable moments in the text. The author's commitment to the project of a democratic India, even and especially in these dark times, is evident in every scene, hopeful or not, that animate the book. * Veena Das, Johns Hopkins University *

Promotional

An ethnographic study of Indian democracy that shows how agrarian life creates values of citizenship and active engagement that are essential for the cultivation of democracy.

Long Description

An ethnographic study of Indian democracy that shows how agrarian life creates values of citizenship and active engagement that are essential for the cultivation of democracy.Cultivating Democracy provides a compelling ethnographic analysis of the relationship between formal political institutions and everyday citizenship in rural India. Banerjee draws on deep engagement with the people and social life in two WestBengal villages from 1998-2013, during election campaigns and in the times between, to show how the micro-politics of their day-to-day life builds active engagement with the macro-politics of state and nation. Her sensitiveanalysis focuses on several "events" in the life of the villages shows how India's agrarian rural society helps create practices and conceptual space for these citizens to be effective participants in India's great democratic exercises. Specifically, she shows how the villagers' creative practices around their kinship, farming and religion, while navigating encounters with local communist cadres, constitute a vital and continuing cultivation of those republican virtues of cooperation, civility,solidarity and vigilance which the visionary Ambedkar considered essential for the success of Indian democracy. At a time when so much of that constitutional vision is under threat, this book providesa crucial scholarly rebuttal to all, on Right or Left, who dismiss rural citizens' political capacities and democratic values. This book will appeal to anyone interested in India's political culture and future, its rural society, or the continuing relevance of political anthropology.

Review Text

"This is a work of both theoretical sophistication and vivid ethnography that takes us into the everyday life of rural Bengal as we follow the rhythms and tempos of political allegiances, enmities, compromises, and hopes that portray the lived experience of democratic politics. With an eye on minor characters as well as major players in the political field Banerjee's receptivity to unforeseen events within the everyday, and her attention to the small events ofhistory, together stitch theory and ethnography and make for unforgettable moments in the text. The author's commitment to the project of a democratic India, even and especially in these dark times, isevident in every scene, hopeful or not, that animate the book." -- Veena Das, Johns Hopkins University

Review Quote

"This is a work of both theoretical sophistication and vivid ethnography that takes us into the everyday life of rural Bengal as we follow the rhythms and tempos of political allegiances, enmities, compromises, and hopes that portray the lived experience of democratic politics. With an eye on minor characters as well as major players in the political field Banerjee's receptivity to unforeseen events within the everyday, and her attention to the small events of history, together stitch theory and ethnography and make for unforgettable moments in the text. The author's commitment to the project of a democratic India, even and especially in these dark times, is evident in every scene, hopeful or not, that animate the book." -- Veena Das, Johns Hopkins University

Feature

Selling point: Examines 9 elections and 15 years of ethnographic immersion in one rural setting in IndiaSelling point: Revives the study of village India, when few such studies exist for the twenty-first century, because 60% of India's population still lives in villagesSelling point: Focuses on India as 'Republic' as well as 'Democracy'Selling point: Applies methods developed by Manchester School of Anthropology for the study of Africa to India

Details ISBN0197601871 Author Mukulika Banerjee Short Title Cultivating Democracy Pages 256 Language English ISBN-10 0197601871 ISBN-13 9780197601877 Format Paperback Subtitle Politics and Citizenship in Agrarian India Country of Publication United States Publisher Oxford University Press Inc Imprint Oxford University Press Inc Place of Publication New York Year 2021 Publication Date 2021-11-09 NZ Release Date 2021-11-09 US Release Date 2021-11-09 UK Release Date 2021-11-09 Series Modern South Asia Edited by Anna Sun Affiliation Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection Section, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Public Health England, UK Position Associate Professor of Anthropology Illustrator Jon Stuart Birth 1955 Death 1950 Qualifications R.N., B.S.N., Ocn Alternative 9780197601860 DEWEY 302.140954 Audience Professional & Vocational AU Release Date 2022-01-05 We've got this

At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it.With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love!

TheNile_Item_ID:135110242;