The Politics of Autonomy: Indian Experiences

The purpose of this critical political inquiry is to look into the conditions and dimensions of autonomy, their historical nature, and their political significance in terms of enriching democracy. The volume catalogues the resistance to the power of the state-the demand for autonomy in other words-that is encountered among various sections of society such as women, ethnic groups, and classes. In particular, the issues discussed are: women’s autonomy; peace accords; the nature of federalism in the Indian constitution; autonomy and international law; resources for autonomy.

The purpose of this critical political inquiry is to look into the conditions and dimensions of autonomy, their historical nature, and their political significance in terms of enriching democracy. The volume catalogues the resistance to the power of the state-the demand for autonomy in other words-that is encountered among various sections of society such as women, ethnic groups, and classes. In particular, the issues discussed are: women's autonomy; peace accords; the nature of federalism in the Indian constitution; autonomy and international law; resources for autonomy.

Dr. Ranabir Samaddar is the Director of the Calcutta Research Group, and belongs to the school of critical thinking. He has pioneered along with others peace studies programmes in South Asia. He has worked extensively on issues of justice and rights in the context of conflicts in South Asia. The much-acclaimed The Politics of Dialogue (Ashgate, 2004) was the culmination of his work on justice, rights, and peace. His particular researches have been on migration and refugee studies, the theory and practices of dialogue, nationalism and post-colonial statehood in South Asia, and new regimes of technological restructuring and labour control. He authored a three-volume study of Indian nationalism, (Whose Asia Is It Anyway – nation and The Region in South Asia, 1996, The Marginal Nation – Transborder Migration from Bangladesh to West Bengal, 1999, and A Biography of the Indian Nation, 1947-1997, 2001). His recent political writings published in the form of a 2 volume account, The Materiality of Politics (Anthem Press, 2007), and the just published The Emergence of the Political Subject (Sage, 2009) have challenged some of the prevailing accounts of the birth of nationalism and the nation state, and have signalled a new turn in critical post-colonial thinking.