Assam Verdict: A Paradigmatic Shift?
The Assam poll verdict 2016 is remarkable for more than one reason. It not only allowed BJP to form a government for the first time in Assam but also brought to the forefront some regional questions of national importance. For many old timers it was a nostalgic repeat of the 1985 elections when riding high on Assamese sub-nationalism, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) formed Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and emerged victorious to form a government. This was an outcome of the s…
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Time to Break the Collective Silence
In an era where extreme binaries proliferate, we are often presented with polarised positions. A moderate strand is conspicuously absent in public discourse. The perception of Islamophobes is that Islam is inherently a violent religion incapable of peace, which cannot co-exist with modernity. To justify this stand, the Islamophobes point out that for fundamentalists the Quran and Shari’a is their guiding source. Whereas the truth is that a significant number of Muslims clai…
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Secularism and State Institutions in India
Indian Secularism set out to be different from its western variant. As opposed to highly homogenous societies of the West, co-existing multitude of social groups made sure that state in India is not a mere bystander but an active interlocutor. A large number of religious minorities had to be reassured that their interests will be taken care of. While with the backdrop of a bloody partition, minorities gave up their claims for political rights in favour of cultural rights, th…
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Living as the 'other'
Every year a large number of people from the Northeastern region move towards other states of India for better opportunities – be it in sectors like education or employment. Amongst others, Delhi continues to be a favourite destination. It continues to have a large population from the region. But sadly the cosmopolitan nature of the city faces a stark contrast from the intolerant behavior of many local residents. The ancient city of Delhi has local residents who came here le…
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Democracy and Dissent
Space for dissent is central to democratic
societies. Truly liberal democracies will not only tolerate dissent but
encourage it. Only when the right to dissent is guaranteed, citizens can
genuinely participate in a democracy. This participation is the source of a
society’s vitality and serves as a corrective balance for the ruling class’
biases. It also acts as an essential motivating force driving a society to
engage in collective reflection and institutional reform.
The mo…
Whose nationalism is it anyway?
In the last two months the country has witnessed fervent battles in the name of nationalism. We have unwittingly entered a competition of proving who is a greater ‘deshbhakt’ and who is a greater ‘deshdrohi’. While the 9th February incident in JNU accentuated the developments, hypernationalism was well on its way since quite some time. We should not forget how Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle, a students’ organisation of Madras IIT was targeted and how Rohith Vemula and others…
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What is in a (Muslim) name?
Among other things, we have conveniently decided the religion of names as well in India. My Persian sounding name usually gives away my religion and many do try to locate me socio-politically and ideologically. Coming from a small town in Indo-Bangladesh border of Assam, I was reminded of my religion when I moved to Delhi to pursue my graduation. In the corridors of a premier institution I was reminded something which I conveniently thought irrelevant. I was a resident of t…
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Homemakers without a home: women and displacement in chars of Dhubri
The lives of char dwellers are marked by persisting underdevelopment, systemic exclusion, and frequent displacement. However, its impact is manifold on the lives of women. This brings forth the need to take a gendered look at the process of dispossession. Erosion which has led to a loss of habitat impacts women in a multiple ways. People living in these river islands often lose their homes to erosion and are forced to move. Home has a different connotation for women. In a s…
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This blog is authored by Parvin Sultana. She is currently working as an Assistant Professor at Pramathesh Barua College, Assam, India. She regularly writes on contemporary socio-political issues.
